Glass Tears
by Sabaku no Ally
Summary: Natsumi is a Suna jounin with a sketchy past even she has no memory of. When she's sent on a deadly mission to assist Konoha, will the love of a childhood friend be enough to save her? Rated M for laungage, fighting and lemons/hentai/yaoi in later chpt.
1. Prologue

Hey everyone out there that is currently reading this! This is my first time writing fan fiction, so please bear with me though the ups and the downs. (And to all those that comment, review and stick with me til the bitter end, you guys are sooo on my Christmas card list! XD Love you all!!) I hope you enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!!! MASHASI KISHIMOTO DOES!

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Prologue ~ Dreams

Smoke, as thick and black as a shadow in the night, spiralled up into the midnight sky above Suna. Bloody, golden flames seemed to lick at the stars. Darkness, a startled yelp. The raven ran though the burning hallways, calling out to her mother, her father, to anyone that could hear.

'Mother!? Father!? Where are you!?' a young voice, scratchy from the thick smoke. The unbearable heat. A crash, and a scream. Was it the child's?

'AHHH! RUN! RUN, GET OUT! SAVE YOURSELF NAT-' the call from her mother, so suddenly cut short by the explosion that rocked the house. Just as the small child went to pull open the door of her parent's bedroom, the roof of the hallway collapsed. The young girl, trapped, alone, in the suffocating heat and eternal blackness.

'MOTHER!! FATHER!! NOO!!' The pressure of the burning wood began to smother the young raven. As she struggled, she could hear the painful cries of the parents, and the desperate shouts from the other villagers, the awful chanting of their names. Takashi.. Hinako.. Natsumi.. … all their names, blending into one long mantra. All of the words, mixing and growing fainter, slowing down.

She knew then. She knew that she would die here, covered by burning wood and ashes. The heat, the sound of the crackling flames, the yellow light, were all slowly beginning to fade. Her breathing was starting to slow down, rattling through her chest. And yet, she wasn't scared, wasn't afraid to die. The only feeling she felt was regret. It was only a matter of time before her vision went, too. The young raven smiled sadly.

The world was turning black, all was going dark, plunged into silence. She wondered why God had chosen her and her family. Her senses failed her completely then.

The last thing her smoke-stung eyes saw was a stranger, shifting desperately though the burnt wood and rubble. The last thing she felt was cool cloth and her cheek being pressed against someone's chest. The last thing she heard was a loving whisper, that everything was going to be okay. A heartbeat. Mother? Father? Or… was it someone else?

She would.. have to thank.. this stranger… in the… afterlife…

_Several days later…_

Voices, speaking softly, fell upon the raven's ears. Slowly, she opened one eye, only to see the white washed walls of the hospital. Confused, she tried to sit up, only to fall back on the uncomfortable white mattress. The pain, it was incredible!

Suddenly, the memories of the fire came flooding back. Tears staining the plaster bandages covering her cheeks as her head fell to the side, wincing at the sharp sting it caused. Despite the tear-blurred vision, she was able to make out a single red desert rose, sitting in a small crystal vase on the nightstand.

The raven's head pounded, and she had burns over most of her body, but the sight of the rose brought a thin, weak smile to her face. Someone out there was watching over her; her very own guardian angel.

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Hey! What did you think? I hope you liked the prologue. If you've decided to stick with me, I'm letting you know right now that the first few chapters will start a bit slow, but it will be worth it in the end!! So, yeah, enjoy! R&R PLEASE!!


	2. Chapter 1

Hey again! Thanks for all the reviews! So yeah, now on to the main story. But I warn you now, it's gonna start a bit slow, but it'll all come together by chapter 4 or 5. PROMISE! So, I hope you enjoy chapter one!

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!! MASAHI KISHIMOTO DOES!!

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**Chapter 1 ~ Enter Natsumi**

The persistent pounding on the door jolted her from the depths of sleep. Midorikawa Natsumi sleepily opened one deep cobalt blue eye just in time to see her front door burst open in a flurry of wind and sand.

To make matters worse and scare her even more, the door blew right off it's hinges and smashed into the wall, breaking in two. Through the gapping hole that once was her front door, a young blond woman with four ponytails and wielding a huge white fan stepped daintily into the front hall. Turning her head and catching sight of a very startled Natsumi, a foxy smile snaked itself across Temari's face.

'Good morning Sleeping Beauty!' chirped Temari in an annoyingly bright and cutsy voice. 'Rise and shine! I have something really important to tell you!' The young jonin sighed angrily and tossed her pillow across the room, nearly making contact with the blond's head. Fortunately, she had pretty good reflexes and was able to dodge the flying pillow of doom. 'HEY!'

'Damn it, Temari! I just had that door FIXED!' Temari flinched at the sound of the usually calm, soft-spoken konoichi's cruel snarl. Pulling herself out of bed and throwing on a blue silk dressing gown, Natsumi stormed angerly towards the shaking blond. 'For God's sake, just use the DOOR KNOB!' Suddenly, she smiled, and the room lit up. Temari sighed in relief.

'Oh shit, Natsumi, sometimes you scare me worst then the thought of a D-ranked mission!' Natsumi's smile softened and Temari pulled her into a quick hug. 'Anyways, I'm basically here to tell you that Lord Kazekage wants to meet with you, Kankuro and I about some REALLY important mission! So come on, hurry up and get dressed!'

'But, Temari,' she whined painfully, 'I just got back last night! I'm so tired, and sore. Plus, I have a class at the dojo, on top of-' the raven was cut off by the look on her blond companion's face. Temari was pouting.

'Oh come on! This is an S-ranked mission! Apparently, you were the first ninja that came to mind when the Kazekage-sama read the request.' giggled the blond in a very un-Temari-ish way. 'So please? You'll be with Kankuro and me, so it's not like you'll be going alone! Please?'

The raven arched a slender eyebrow, wondering what had gotten into Temari. The only time she was ever THIS enthusiastic, was when she was talking with or about her boyfriend. Nara Shikamaru, a brown haired chunin from Konaha. They had met at the Chunin Exams several years ago and kept in touch secretly ever since. That is, if you could call yelling at her siblings if there was anything in the mail from him secretly.

'It's not going alone I'm worried about. It's just, I've been run off my feet lately, with both missions and my own personal schedule to worry about, I just got back in last night and I'm tired. There hasn't been a single moment of free time when I can just relax, even just for a little while.' Natsumi mumbled, gently rubbing her temples with the tips of her long, delicate fingers.

When it came to being tired, the raven hated it more than Temari hated D-ranked missions. She preferred to be well rested, and set to take on the day in full energy and in a good mood. But lately, there just hadn't been enough time. She sighed. 'But, I suppose I could go to the mission briefing. Who knows, it might be just the thing I need.'

Temari grinned, and hugged her again. 'Awesome! So, I'll be by in about a half an hour to pick you up, but we have to get Kankuro, too, so please be ready when I get back! Okay? Bye!' with another grin and a wave, the blond had picked up her fan and dashed out the hole where Natsumi's door used to hang in peace.

'HEY! What am I going to do about my door?!'

The hot water felt so good against her bare skin, the way it soaked though her raven hair. It helped purge the unwanted vibes and stress of living, along with the sand that came with residing in Sunagakure.

The water also helped her think; think on the past. Her parents, her old friends, everything and anything at all. Smiling slightly to herself, Natsumi shut the water off and stepped onto the cool tiled floor. As she dried her glossy raven hair and her wrapped the second towel around her chest, Natsumi cast a fleeting glance out the bathroom window. From there, she could clearly see the desert horizon, as well as the little park near the Academy.

The park where it had all began, her forbidden friendship with a young red head, the one tailed Jinchuuriki.

_'Sabaku no Gaara…'_

But soon after they arose, the raven pushed those thoughts back into the dark depths of her mind. She had to get ready to go, other wise Temari would have her head on a silver platter.

Natsumi grimaced at the brutal thought, but knew that the crazy blond would probably do exactly that, as she pulled on her fishnet body suit, followed by her navy coloured crop top. She wrapped the matching slit shirt around her slim waist, and strapped on her black heeled sandals.

Once she was done with her clothes, the raven sat down in front of a gilded desk mirror. The majority of the glossy black hair was piled up and held in place with three long, decretive senbons. Her bangs were swept across her forehead and tucked behind her ears. She then slid on two rings, one on each middle finger, and then a beautiful golden chain with a golden rose pendant. Last but not least, Natsumi secured her headband around her neck and polished the sand symbol to a brilliant shine just as Temari walked in through the bedroom door.

'Ready to go yet?' The blond inspected her friend from every angle, nodding her approval. 'Uh huh! Okay, now we have to go get Kakuro, then report to Lord Kazekage-sama.' Temari gripped Natsumi's wrist, pulling her roughly towards the hole that used to be the front door. 'Oh, and I promise that I'll get Oboro-san to fix your door.. Again!' The raven just laughed.

_At Kankuro's House…_

'…Make your o-own, cucumber.. waffles, beach ball… snore' Came the response from behind the closed door, after Temari's powerful poundings half woke her sleeping brother.

'HEY KANKURO!! WAKE UP BAKA! HOW IS IT YOU CAN-' The door swung open, revealing the blond's younger brother, Kankuro, in all his exhausted glory; messy brown bed head, puffy blood-shot eyes, drool on his chin and the remains of his purple face paint smudged around his eyes and mouth.'For the love of all things holy, do you even know what TIME it is, Tema?! The brunette did not sound impressed with his sister.

'Uh, yeah, actually, it's ten thirty. You should be up and dressed, not to mention on your way to see SOMEONE about a very important -'

'OH SHIT! HOLY FUCKIN' RATS! I completely forgot about that! Shit, he's gonna KILL my sorry ass!' Kankuro had a panicked look on his face, and as he yelled, his voice raised two octaves. He then procceed to launch himself back into his room, slamming the door on the two jounin.

From the sounds emerging from his room, it sounded as if the brunette was trying to get dressed as quickly as humanly possible. Which, by the way, appeared to be much too slow for Temari, who stood by her raven friend, tapping her foot impatiently. The sounds of pounding feet, slamming drawers, unknown objects being flung around and the odd colourful curse later, out came Kankuro. Fully dressed in his trade mark black, face washed with fresh markings and adjusting his hood, it was almost impossible to imagine that two minutes ago, he had just gotten out of bed!

In fact, the thought was so ridiculous, Natsumi started to giggle.

'Eh? What's so funny? And what the hell are you even doing here?' the brunette asked, oblivious.

'Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry about it Kankuro-kun.' she replied, attempting to stifle her laughter. 'Sorry, Temari woke me up too. I'm going on that mission with you two.' A yawn escaped her pale lips. 'Damn, it is WAAAAY to early to be up on a Saturday. I'm dead on my feet!'

With that, Kankuro began to laugh with the raven.

'IF YOU TWO DON'T KICK YOUR ASSES INTO GEAR SOON, YOU'LL BOTH BE DEAD ON YOUR BACKS! SO HURRY THE FUCK UP!!' The crazy blond konoichi's took hold of both her brother and Natsumi in a death grip, and literally dragged them out the door on their asses.

'Okay, okay, fine! I'll walk! Damn it, Temari! LET. GO!' growled Kankuro, yanking his arm free of his older sister. Still walking, so not to piss of the blond, he inspected his bruised wrist and rubbing his sore lower back. 'Crap, now it looks like I was an uke in some kinda weird sexcapade!'

'Be thankful! It could be much worse, you know. Oh, and I don't care if you walk, just hurry your ass up. Fuck, we're going to be late!' Temari, still gripping the raven by the arm, lead the others through the winding, dusty streets of Suna, towards the Kazekage's huge manor at the center of the village.

'Please Temari, let me go. I'm kinda uncomfortable.' complained Natsumi to her blond captor, tugging gently on her own arm. Kankuro, sensing his sister's foul mood, dropped back several paces despite the death glare from said blond. Temari then turned her icy gaze to the small raven.

'Fine, just don't fall behind, like SOME baka I know. Besides, we're almost there.' retorted the nineteen year old in a huff. She then continued to speed up, leaving both the younger jounin behind.

'Temari's awfully jumpy, which is rather unusual for her. She's always so calm and collected. Maybe it's her time of month? Even the best of us can't stop that.' Natsumi thought to herself as she watched her friend's receding back. Not even thinking, she sprinted up behind Temari, then slowly moved to her side, thus leaving Kankuro alone.

'Temari, you don't seem like yourself today.' Matching pace with her, Natsumi's cobalt eyes met baby-blue ones. 'You're always so calm. Sure, you can be edgy and uptight at times, but never to this extent.' Temari, looking very uncomfortable, stopped then and turned to face her raven companion. 'What's wrong?'

'It's Shika-kun, er, Shikamaru. He was sent out on a mission to gather information on that runaway genin, uh, Uchiha Sasuke. But he has to infiltrate Omogakure, and with that snake Sannin…' Tears welled up in her blue eyes as she continued to speak. 'And to make matters worse, this is a really high-ranked mission, with a high casualty rate. Plus he has to go in alone!'

The blonde sobbed and fell into Natsumi's slim arms. Luckily she had managed to get a good grip on her, catching her before she fell to the ground.

'Shh.. It's okay. He'll be fine. Just pull yourself together. Don't forget, we have to be there for our own mission briefing. Besides, I'm sure he'll be alright - he's really smart, after all.'

Temari sniffed and straightened up, just as Kankuro caught up with the two girls.

'Hey, Tema, you okay?' the brunette asked, concern written all over his face. His sister looked up with a weak smile on her face.

'Yeah, Kanky, thanks for asking.' Grinning, Temari spun his hood around so it covered his eyes and pulled him into a tight hug. Upon releasing him, she motioned for Natsumi to hurry and catch up. The young raven moved next to a terrified Kankuro, who was trying to fix his hood after yet another assault.

'Uh, Natsumi, is Temari okay?' he asked in a very startled voice.

'Don't worry about it. I'm sure she'll sort it out herself, but just in case, you have to be there for her.'

Relief crossed the brunette's face, and the two began running to keep up with the blonde konoichi's brisk pace.

_At the Kazekage's Mansion…_

'Wow, I haven't been here since, well, since my last mission I guess.' A nostalgic feeling washed over Natsumi as she walked the winding, beige halls of the mansion that lead to the Kazekage's office.

'Yeah, that was what, two weeks ago?' inquired Kankuro in complete honesty. Out of no where, Temari's fist made contact with the side of his face, bruising upon impact and causing the teen to fall to the ground, further bruising his already bruised ass and cut his face. 'OWW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?'

'You inconsiderate moron! Natsumi's been gone for almost a month now. Ass…' the blonde glared down her outoto, while gently putting her arm around her friend's shoulder. 'Fuck-tard.'

'It's okay, Temari. Really, just stop hitting him.' Smiling, she wiped some of the blood off his cheek. 'So, how is the Kazekage?' she asked, face the picture of innocence.

'Do you mean our father?' Kankuro and his sister questioning exchanged glances. 'Cos he was murdered by that snake, Orochimaru, at the Chunin Exams -'

'No, I knew that. What I meant the new Kazekage. I've never actually met him face to face. He usually sits behind that screen, and he always has his guards...' The raven's voice trailed off in wonder as they came to the door of the office.

'You see, we wanted to keep his identity a secret, with the Akatsuki finally showing their hand.' confided the blond. Natsumi's cobalt coloured eyes widened.

'But, why are you worried about the Akatsuki's hand? Are they targeting Lord Kazekage?! The raven gasped, twisting out of Temari's grip. Kankuro smiled mysteriously to himself, then knocked on the heavy wooden door.'Don't be surprised by his appearance, Natsumi. You might just find that you know him… or at least have seen him around Suna before.' She smiled. 'Just relax and you'll be fine.' Placing a reassuring hand back on her shoulder, Temari watched her raven friend take a deep, calming breath.

Just then, a voice called from within the room beyond the stone coloured door.

'Enter.'

The voice, which Natsumi assumed belonged to the Kazekage, was darker than the deepest depths of night, and deadly sounding. But yet, there was a strange softness to it, a calm tone.

It was the most seductive, sexy sound the raven had ever heard, and it almost caused her to melt.

_'If his voice can do that, then… NO! don't think that way about the Kazekage-sama!'_ she mentally scolded herself for such thoughts. Snapping back to reality, she followed closely behind Temari as Kankuro pushed

open the door to reveal the spacious office inside.

'Sorry we're late! I had to give that stupid, lazy bastard I call outoto,' she grinned as she playfully smacked Kankuro on the side of the head, nearly knocking his black hood off for the hundredth time that morning, 'a wake up call. Same goes for this one over here, she-' The blonde's voice faltered as the Kazekage rose to address them personally.

'Kankuro, Temari. I have called you two here, because our allies in Konohagakure have requested our help.' As he spoke in that strange tone, he began to remove the traditional cap covering his head and face. With baited breath, Natsumi watched as the Kazekage's youthful face was revealed. The young raven's wide eyes widened even more, and her breath caught in her throat. Her heart began to flutter like a caged bird.

_Oh my god! Could it really be..?_

The Kazekage turned to face a frozen Natsumi, regarding her with piercing sea foam green eyes.

'Midorikawa Natsumi, I will be sending you along with my siblings for this mission. You shall work together in a three man cell in order to complete the mission successfully.' As he spoke, the young man ran a pale hand through his blood red hair, sweeping his bangs to the right side of his face. This motion revealed a blood red kanji, just above his left eye that read, love.

There was no mistaking it now. This young man, the young Kazekage… it was Gaara!

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ALRIGHT!! DONE CHAPTER ONE!!! I'm super pleased with it, but it's you readers that have the last say. So please, R&R and tell me what you think!! And I'm aware that it's off to a bit of a slow start, but it will pick up soon! Gotta get the important background history in first, so you readers know what's going on! XD

Thanks for stickin with me!! Love you all!!!!!!


	3. Chapter 2

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! Hope you had a good one! So, this is my gift to you readers. Enjoy!

(and tnx 4 the reviews)

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!! MASHASHI KISIMOTO DOES (if I did, there would be SasuNaru smut every episode!! XD)

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**Chapter 2 ~ The Red Head and the Raven**

'Now then, about the mission…' The raven stood, in a shocked silence, as she gazed at the stunningly sexy red head standing regally before her. Her heart skipped a beat or two, and then, without warning, the memories came flooding back.

Memories from her long forgotten past…

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_Natsumi? Natsumi, darling! You can't stay in the house all day long you know!' called the beautiful raven haired woman. Midorikawa Hinako had been trying to locate her elusive little daughter for the greater part of the morning, without much success. 'I want you to go play with the other children. I don't want you inside all day long!' _

'_Coming Mother!' In skipped a sweet little fair skinned girl with long, silky hair the exact colour of her mother's. She was, after all, Hinako's clone. But her shining cobalt eyes belonged to her father, Takashi. 'I'm sorry. I was just practicing my dance! I think I'm getting better at it!' Her huge blue eyes shone, like stars on a clear night. 'Will you come and watch me?'_

_Hinako's heart melted at the sight of her only child's warm and bright smile._

'_Of course, my love. But right now, I want you to go and play outside with your friends. Go to the park. Have some fun for a little while.' The tiny raven stared up at her mother, head cocked to the side, with a look of interest and wonder etched on her pale face._

'_But, I have to practice! And besides, it's not like I don't play with them. We play together all the time, but today I really need to-' A young Natsumi was gently cut off by her mother's arms folding around her small body and pressing her daughter's cheek to hers._

'_Natsumi, please, don't argue with me. It hurts us both.' The older raven whispered lovingly into her child's ear. 'Go take a break, and have some fun. Your father and I need to talk about adult stuff.' _

_The little girl's eyes lit up and she squirmed out of her mother's embrace. She then proceed to bounce up and down on the balls of her feet._

'_So, I'm not allowed to hear the talk, right? Oh, I see! You just want to get me out of the house.' Despite her age, Natsumi was far from innocent minded. Hinako arched a slender eyebrow. Grinning, the little raven planted a kiss on the tip of her mother's nose, before twirling around and high tailing it towards the door._

_She quickly turned before leaving 'Just promise you'll watch me when I come home.'_

_Straightening up, Hinako blushed slightly at her daughter's words. But she brushed them off as her blonde haired husband waltzed up and pulled her into a tender kiss._

'_Now then, what was this about an "adult" talk?'_

_They started kissing passionately as they manoeuvred over to the couch and laid down. Just as they were going to start taking their clothes off, the door flew open.'Sorry, I forgot to grab my-' Natsumi was cut off as she saw the position her parents were in. Blushing madly, she turned around. 'Sorry. I just forgot to grab my shoes and thought I'd need them. I'll just wait until you guys are done.' She ran out the door and slammed it shut, leaving her two parents blushing madly._

_~*~_

_Natsumi ran down the dusty streets that lead to the park next to the Academy. She slowed her pace as she drew closer, but instead of seeing the usual crowd of children with their parents, she saw a group of older ninja. There were twelve of them, and they looked to be anywhere around the age of fifteen or sixteen. _

_They were running as fast as they could, pushing and tripping each other, screaming about a demon, a murderer and that they were too young to die._

_The raven was about to turn and flee as well, when she heard a small noise coming from inside the wall that surrounded the park. She stopped, torn. Fear was telling her feet to run as fast as she could, to get way from this place. But her heart was shouting at her to find out what the noise was._

_Her heart won the battle for dominance and she crept slowly towards the gate._

_The noise Natsumi was hearing quickly began to change. She could finally determine what it actually was. _

_It was crying._

_The young raven pushed open the at and peered inside. There, sitting on the swings, was a little red haired boy. He held tightly to a stuffed bear as tears silently spilled down his pale cheeks and hit the ground._ _Natsumi approached him in a panic._

'_Hey! Come on, we have to go!' Throwing caution to the wind, she had run right up to the teary eyed boy. 'There's a demon here!'_

_The red head looked up at the raven, his teary sea green eyes darkening._

'_No, it's me.' Natsumi looked at him, confused._

'_What do you mean?' Fresh tears formed in the corners of his eyes, and his lower lip trembled. Drawing a shaky and pained breath, he continued._

'_I'm… the demon.' The red head lowered his eyes and looked away, expecting her to run away too. He looked back to her when she stayed put_. '_Aren't you gonna run away too?'_

'_No, why would I run away?'_

_Startled, the autumn haired boy looked up to see a smiling face. His grip on his bear tightened._

'_What?!' Smiling at the confused boy, she had completely forgotten about her fear and the urgency to run away. Instead, she looked at him closely, studying him. 'B-but why? Everyone always runs…'_

'_It's because I don't see a demon.' Still smiling, she held out her hand to the boy. 'I see a boy with a teddy bear that needs someone to hug.' he continued to stare at her in shock. 'My name's Natsumi. What's yours?'_

'… _It-it's Gaara.' the red head replied with a shy half smile on his face. The tears had stopped falling._

'_Well then Gaara, do you, I mean, wanna come play with me?' Now it was the raven's turn to be shy and flustered. She smiled happily at him, while he continued to gaze back in amazement._

'_Really? I-I can really play? With you?' Blushing slightly, Gaara wiped his eyes on his sleeve._

'_Really. Come on, what do you want to play first?' she asked, giggling as she took she took his hand. 'I know! Let's go play in the sand box!'_

_Natsumi tugged gently on Gaara's hand and led him over to the sand box. The red head smiled at the raven knelt down in the sand, shyly patting the spot next to her. Wide eyed and with a smile, he sat cross legged next to Natsumi._

'_Um, do you wanna see something really neat?' Gaara asked, holding her sleeve. _

_Both surprised and curious, she smiled and nodded. _

_Smiling to himself, the red head pushed himself onto his knees and laid his small hands on the surface of the sand._

'_What are you doing?' _

_Gaara closed his eyes, concentrating on the sand and his chakra. Suddenly, the golden sand began to shift beneath his fingers, changing into two small figures._

'_Look Natsumi! It's you and me!' He laughed, and the raven watched in awe as the two sand creations began to move through out the abandoned toys scattered around the sand box, chasing each other and playing._

'_Oh, wow! That's so cool! I've never seen anything like it!' Natsumi, eyes sparkling excitedly as she looked up at her new friend. He pulled his hands out of the sand and the two clones disappeared._

'_You mean, you liked it?' Gaara averted his eyes shyly. 'I'm glad…'_

'_So, do you want to go on the swings? I'll push you first.' The raven held out her hand to the young red head. For a moment, he just looked at her, his piercing green eyes moving from her hand to his own and back again. Natsumi held her breath._

'_Yeah! That would be fun!' Reaching out to take her hand, Gaara allowed the raven to pull him up. Together, the two shared a smile._

_In that single moment, both came to the same realization; the red head and the raven would be friends for ever._

_And so, Gaara and his new friend Natsumi played together in the little park, creating a lifetime of memories in just a few hours, until the bright, golden sun began to set over Sunagakure._

_In the end, they stood facing each other under the archway, hidden by the shadows of the setting sun._

'_Well, I guess I should be going. My parents, I-I don't want them to worry about me.' With her eyes cast down, the little raven continued. 'What about you Gaara?'_

'_My mom's dead, my brother wets his bed in fear of me, my sister thinks I'm the spawn of Satan and my dad wants me dead. The only one that would worry is my uncle.' Natsumi watched as a stray tear slid down his cheek._

'_Hey, what about me? You don't think that your friends don't worry too?' She was met with a surprised look. 'It's true. As your friend, I don't want to see anything bad happen to you.'_

'_Bu-but why? Everyone has always… hated me! Why don't you?' He squeezed his eyes shut to keep them from spilling over, but opened them again when the raven took his hand and clenched it._

_Like a friend._

'_Because, I'm not everybody else. I'm me, and you're you.' Natsumi smiled brightly at him and took his other hand._

'_Does this mean, that we're… friends?' Teary green eyes met deep blue ones._

'_Yes. We're friends… no. We're best friends!' Suddenly, Gaara's smile matched Natsumi's and they dissolved into cheerful giggles._

'_So, do you wanna come and play here tomorrow? With me?' he asked, that shy smile returning._

'_That sounds like fun! Let's meet here again at, um, well, how does three thirty sound?' Still smiling, Gaara nodded and Natsumi let go of his hands._

'_See you tomorrow!' Gaara walked down the path leading back to his uncle's home, happy for the first time in his short life._

'_Bye!'_

_The perfect beginning to a perfect friendship…_

* * *

Natsumi stood rooted to the spot as Gaara spoke with his older siblings, regarding family matters.

'_Does he even recognize me?' _she thought curiously to herself.

'Now then, I suppose we should begin with the briefing.' Temari and Kankuro both nodded in agreement, while Natsumi simply blinked. Clearing his throat, the young Kazekage launched into the mission. 'As you all know, after the Chuunin Exams four years ago, Suna formed an alliance with Konoha after renouncing their ties with Orochimaru.'

Temari and her brown haired brother shuddered as they both recalled the terrible events that the three had helped to make possible.

Gaara's eyes darkened as he too recalled those troubled times. But then, a small flicker of recognition passed over his face and he looked to the raven. Shaking it off, he continued, his eyes returning to the scroll he held in his hand.

'Well, our allies are in some deep trouble, and in need of urgent assistance.' Returning the small one to a pocket in his robes, he pulled out a large scroll and unrolled it across the surface of his desk. The red head then waved the trio over. 'As you know, the Akatsuki have been targeting certain people, and have been causing quite a bit of trouble for Konoha.'

'It's because of the genin, Uzumaki Naruto, isn't it? The nine tailed Jinchuuriki, right?' asked Temari, glancing up from the mission request to look her little brother in the eye.

'… Yes, it is.'

'He's a lot like you Gaara. That's why you two are such good friends.' Knowing what was coming, Kankuro ducked, anticipating a fatal blow to the head from his sister.

Sure enough, Temari delivered. The familiar sound of air rushing pass her balled fist, and the usual hushed yet angry calling of his name, but the punch never met its mark. Looking up, he saw that the Kazekage had caught Temari's fist mid swing and stopped it.

'That will be enough, Temari.' His voice had changed, as if it had lost all emotions. Her eyes widened in fear, but his eyes said he wasn't pissed.

'Sorry…' the blond muttered in relief.

'But yes, it is Naruto that the Akatsuki are after. But this mission has more to do with stealth and espionage than actual battle.' This drew blank looks from Temari and Kankuro, and sparked the interest of the raven.

'What do you mean?' Temari asked, arching an eyebrow. Gaara sighed.

'The mission is to pose as members of the ANBU Black Ops. You see, according to the information we received, three of Konoha's ANBU agents are actually spies for the Akatsuki. That is your mission. Find the defectors and take care of them.'

'Hah, this'll be simple!' Kankuro shouted, pumping his fists in the air.

'However, it's very likely that they are under the control of one of the Akatsuki; Sasori of the Red Sand. So I want all three of you to exercise extreme caution while under cover.' Now finished,

Gasps of shock seemed to suck the very air from the office. Kankuro's mouth dropped open as he recognized the name, while Natsumi gave him a "oh, you have got to be shitting me" look.

'Sa-Sasori?'

'This was the only information that the Hokage, Lady Tsunade was able to send us. So, I assume that you will receive a more detailed report once you reach Konoha. Alright, that concludes the briefing. You three are dismissed.'

'Okay.' The brunette turned to Natsumi. 'Temari and I will meet you at the main gate in about an hour. Don't be late, Natsumi-chan!' Kankuro and his sister were already out the door, leaving the raven alone. She turned to leave the office, not wanting to be alone for an extended period of time with the red head.

'Natsumi-chan…' She froze as the young Kazekage spoke her name in that velvet voice of his. Turning slowly back towards him, she held her breath.

'Yes, Lord Kazekage-sama?' Gaara's green eyes darkened at her use of such a formal title. Fearing the worst, Natsumi tensed. But he only sighed slightly and sat down behind his desk.

'You don't have to call me that you know.' That look, his impossible to read, blank look. But his voice was soft, causing her to unintentionally relax.

'I-I'm sorry, Gaara-san. I was just surprised to see you. As the Kazekage, I mean. Uh, it's been a long time.' Flustered, the raven's eyes dropped to her black sandals.

'It's been about five years.' Startled, Natsumi looked up quickly, only to be unable to look the red head in the eye.

_When did he…? No, it couldn't have been him… could it? No, but then…?_

Gaara watched as several different expressions crossed her flushed face. Alarm, panic, curiosity and surprise arose most often.

'But, five years ago, that was right after the riots and the fire…' A frown creased her pale brow. 'When did you…?'

'I saw you right after you were released from the hospital. You were staying with Temari at the time, I believe.' came the almost too casual reply.

'Oh, it's just… I thought…' The raven murmured almost to herself.

'… You thought that I was thinking about that time in the park.' Natsumi stiffened, and blushed a delicate shade of pink. 'Hmm, I thought so.'

'I-I'm, oh god! I didn't even, I'm so sorry!' That was as much past guilt as she could handle for the day. In fact, the guilt she felt in that single moment was more than she had ever experienced in a very long time.

'What's wrong?' Alarmed, Gaara rose form his desk and began to move towards her.

Tears streaming down her face, she turned on her heel and dashed blindly out the door, with the red headed Kazekage calling after her.

'Natsumi-chan, wait! NATSUMI!!'

_Somewhere near Suna's main gate…_

Two lone figures stood at the gate, illuminated by the sun shining over head. The taller of the two sighed impatiently as a third figure approached silently.

'Well, it's about time! I had to stand here listening to this moron talk my ear off!' huffed Temari at the stony faced raven. Brushing the remaining tears from her rosy cheeks, Natsumi turned away from the brother and sister and set her sights on the golden desert landscape.

'Sorry to make you wait. But now, I'm waiting for you, so let's get moving.' From the tone of her voice, the sand sibs could tell that something was bothering their raven friend, but neither really wanted to bring it up.

'Right. After all, it's a three trip to Konohagakure from here.' Kankuro adjusted the straps holding his precious summoning scrolls for Crow, Black Ant and Salamander.

'But I'm sure we could make it in two, but only if we left right now.' responded Temari, pulling on her fingerless black gloves. 'Therefore, as squad leader, I say… MOVE OUT!'

With a single finger pointed to the desert and a stupid grin on her tanned face, Natsumi couldn't help but relax and smile. Pushing the awkward meeting with Gaara out of her head, she dashed after her two friends.

_This is gonna be one hell of a mission…_

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Heh heh! Done. Well, I hope you like reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Sorry about the delay, but with Christmas and New Years… yeah, it was hell on earth. . But now, I can start up again.

So, R&R, and enjoy! LUVS U ALL!!


	4. Chapter 3

I'm sorry, to all you! I couldn't update cos of exams and major assignments… but now that that's all out of the way, I can start updating more regularly!

Anyways, I gots some romance in this chapter!(my first time too!) XD Okay, more like hinting at it, but still! Heh heh, sorry, I'm excited for this. It's a bit of some one-sided romantic thoughts (from Gaara's POV), although the chapter is a bit on the short side… So I hope you will all enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!! (Or Gaara, no matter what I may like to think XD) MASHASI KISHIMOTO DOES!! *the lucky bastard*

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**Chapter 3 ~ A Mistake**

'_NATSUMI-CHAN!! WAIT, NATSUMI-CHAN!' _

Thinking back to this moment, had said raven actually stopped, the young Kazekage wouldn't have known what to say.

From the moment she had walked into the room, to the second she had fled, misty-eyed and heartbroken, Gaara's emotions had been running amuck.

'_This feeling… What is it..?' _He placed a hand on his chest, directly over his heart. _'I've never felt like this, before.' _

Hoping to rid himself of this alien feeling, Gaara stood up slowly and wandered aimlessly over to one of the large windows that ringed his office. Sighing, he gripped the frame of the window that overlooked the main gate. Suddenly, the red head caught sight of two shadowy figures which he recognized to be his older siblings.

Smiling inwardly, Gaara recounted the days when he had been known solely as Suna's greatest weapon; a lethal killing machine without a heart. He had hated and resented Temari and Kankuro, along with everyone else in the village that knew about the Shukaku sealed inside him. He remembered the countless times he had threatened to kill them, for being too loud, of looking at him the wrong way. His motto was love only yourself, fight only for yourself, but that was all in the past. It somehow seemed to be a part of another life altogether.

Gaara was about to turn away, when a third figure approached the duo. Judging from the height, the frame and the way the person was walking, he knew it was a young woman.

'Natsumi-chan…' The name slipped past his lips in a whisper, and for some unfathomable reason, his breath caught in his throat and his heart began to race. Eyes wide and mouth agape, he couldn't understand what was going on. Gaara's grip on the window frame tightened. He was starting to break out in a cold sweat, which had never happened to him before. He felt happiness, sorrow, angry and joyful, all at the same time. _'What's happening to me?' _Releasing his death grip on the window frame, he began to pace restlessly.

Trying to make sense of these feelings within him, the Kazekage thought back to that day's mission briefing. That's when he realized his mistake.

'_Damn it, it was when I mentioned the park.' _he cursed himself for not thinking before mentioning it. He didn't know her feelings on the topic. _'I guess, she felt bad over what had happened those ten years ago.' _

Closing his eyes, he pushed himself back into the memories of his childhood, just before the beginning of the dark years. Thinking back to their first meeting, he found the most likely cause, the one moment in time Natsumi could have been thinking about.

'_Then, does this mean, that we're… that we're friends?' 'Yes, we're friends. No, now, we're BEST FRIENDS!' _, they had continued to go on and plan to meet up the next day and play.

Although they had planned to meet up the next afternoon, she had never showed up. That is why he had been on the roof that night his uncle had tried to kill him. THAT, was the start of what became known as the dark years. Sighing again, he couldn't figure out why she would have left in tears.

Gaara watched silently as the three figures swiftly dashed into the desert, towards Kohona. Sighing heavily, he walked over to his desk and sat down, pushing some papers aside. His heart was still pounding, his head a bit fuzzy, and he had a curious feeling in the pit of his stomach. Almost like birds flapping their wings, a tickling sensation never experienced by the red head before.

'Maybe, I'm…' Contemplating what these strange feelings were, the Kazekage reached for the china cup filled with steaming hot tea. Just as he wrapped his fingers around the base, he heard a cracking sound.

Glancing up, his sea foam green eyes fell upon a crystal vase filled with water.

A large crack spread from the rim of the vase almost down to the bottom. Water was seeping out of the crack, reaching out like long, wet fingers, soaking the documents closest it But that wasn't what caught Gaara's eye, and made his heart skip.

_Inside the vase, its lifeblood spilling over the Kazekage's desk, was a single red rose._

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Done! Now everyone knows that I can't write romance! Heh heh! See, I've never been in love, so I don't know what Gaara should have been feeling here. Ah, but hey, I think I did okay. So, R&R and comments are welcome. The next chapter will be longer, I promise!

I also want to put a shout out to two very good friends of mine, Devildemonchild_luvscookies and .woman, who has helped me through the writers block and has been there with Pepsi and pocky in my time of need! XD! LUVS YOU DEARS!!!


	5. Chapter 4

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! MASHSI KISHIMOTO DOES… no matter how much I want Gaara…**

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**Chapter 4 ~ Konoha's Request**

Never before had Natsumi seen so many trees in the same place. Glancing around, she noted the many differences between the two nations. In the land of Wind, there was pretty much only golden sand and wind swept wastelands that surrounded the village, but here. Here, lush green forests, beautiful clear lakes and grassy plains made up the landscape.

'Temari, is Konoha like this, too?' asked the raven in awe. She knew said blond had been there many times before, so she figured, what the hell, I might as well ask. 'Everything is so… beautiful here.'

Laughing, Temari watched as her friend drank in the sights with an awe struck face.

'Yeah, I agree. But still, the desert has its perks. Makes you tough. Right, Kankuro?' Slowing her pace to match her slacking brother's, the konoichi smacked him on the arm. He winced, rubbing the spot that seemed to bruise instantly.

'Hah, right. No kidding. But no, it is really nice here.' The brunette sped up, leaving his sister behind. He grinned at Natsumi, who laughed when he hit his head on a low hanging branch and fell back with a painful groan. Now Temari joined in, laughing harded when part of the branch landed on top of him after falling out of the tree. He looked back and glared at the girls. 'You know, it's not very nice to laugh at others in pain.'

'You know, you should probably pay more attention to unfamiliar terrain. Then you wouldn't be in pain and we would have no reason to laugh at you' Temari snickered while her little brother turned red in embarrassment.

'Oh, is that, up ahead!' the raven pointed to a light in the distance, cutting through the trees like a kunai cuts through the air. 'Is it Konoha?' The sand siblings followed the direction of her finger.

'Yeah, the main gate gets lit up in the evenings.' The blonde seemed ready to burst with excitement. Her voice was trembling, probably wanting to see her little "Shika-kun" again, but somehow managed to compose herself before Kankuro asked questions.

Finally, the trio arrived at the gate. Being the first mission to the land of Fire, Natsumi stood in awe of the large village, hidden amongst the trees (1). From where she stood, the raven could see the many buildings that made up their allies' home, all done up in bright and cheery colours. But what really caught her eye was the giant wall of rock that towered over the impressive red structure that she assumed was the Hokage mansion. The five carvings stood out proudly, watching over Konoha and its people.

'Those are the Hokage Faces.' The startled raven started then looked over to the two men sitting inside a large booth. Boarder guards? One of the men had a head of super spiky black hair, a matching goatee and a strip of stark white bandage covering the bridge of his nose, while the one next to him had shiny brown hair that covered his right eye. Both wore Leaf headbands and chunin vests over uniform grey shirts. 'Nice, aren't they?' The one who had spoken was the one with the bandage. 'My name is Hagane Kotetsu. This is my partner, Kamizuki Izumo.' He motioned to the brunette. 'Welcome back to Konoha, Lady Temari-san.'

Izumo stood up and looked over the other two sand ninja. 'If my memory serves me correctly, then you must be Lord Kankuro-san.' Grinning, he continued. 'This is your second time here, right?'

'Yeah. It really is as nice as I remember. It hasn't really changed much.' replied the Puppet Master politely. Then both Izumo and Kotetsu turned to face the third member of the party.

'So, then you must be…?' the bandaged ninja asked, cocking his head to the side. Izumo, the smarter and more reliable of the two, sighed.

'My name's Natsumi. It's a pleasure to meet you.' Smiling, she shook both the leaf ninjas' hands. 'I agree with you, by the way. They're breath taking.' The raven's gaze was drawn back up to the elegantly carved mountain side.

'Well, I promise that when the briefing is done, I'll take you up to see them.' Temari smiled and looked to her brother. 'Right Kankuro?'

'Yeah, cause I wouldn't mind having a closer look at them myself!'

Just then, a young man sporting a Chuunin vest and a ponytail high up on his head came slouching up towards the group. From the look on his face, to the way he straightened up at the sight of their group, this could only be the infamous Nara Shikamaru.

'What a drag! Had I've known it was my Temari I was escorting today…' he muttered to himself, while his two colleges both gave him a blank stare.

'Is Shikamaru… blushing?' Kotetsu whispered to his partner.

_So_, thought the raven, _I guess Shikamaru hasn't told anyone about his relationship with Temari_.

Composing himself, the young man turned to the two other sand ninja.

'Hi, I'm Shikamaru. I'll be your escort during your stay in Konoha. Now, can we get going? Lady Hokage-sama gets really irritated if we're late.' He said all this in a very bored tone of voice, and then threw his hands behind his head in a relaxed position.

'I'm Kankuro, and this is Natsumi.' he offered, extending his hand towards his sister's lover. The raven smiled and nodded.

'Yeah, the Puppet Master, right? Must be troublesome to carry them around, huh? Hey, where's Gaara? I'm sure Naruto would love to see him again' He then turned to Natsumi. 'So then I guess you're gonna be their backup? What a drag.'

'No, I'm filling in for Kazekage-sama as the third member of this cell.' she replied, laughing.

'Oh yeah, he's Kazekage now, isn't he?' He looked to Temari.

'Yup! I was so proud of him. But enough greetings! We need to meet with Lady Hokage!' she answered quickly. 'We have to get going. Nice seeing you again Kotetsu, Izumo!'

'Bye guys!' both waved at the group as they disappeared into the bustling village.

Shikamaru lead the sand ninja through the streets of Konoha, pointing out useful and interesting landmarks for the sake of those that had never been in the village before.

As they passed a small ramen shop, a loud voice from within cried out, 'OWW! Why'd cha hit me, Sakura-chan?'

The reply to this was 'CHA! I'm not paying for you to eat twelve bowls of this stuff, dobe!' The first voice was male, and the second was female. Temari and Shikamaru both sighed.

'Hah, that idiot's trying to mooch money off Sakura again, huh?'

'Will he never learn?'

Kankuro looked over at Natsumi with a questioning expression etched on his face. Shrugging, she twisted her head only to see a girl with shocking pink hair stomping off down the road. A boy with spiky gold hair stuck his head out of the shop, calling after the girl, who was clearly ignoring him.

'Anyways, here we are.' announced Shikamaru with a sigh. He waved to the guard, who he addressed as Gemna, and held the door open for his girl.

'Thanks, Shika!' Winking, Temari waltzed on through, swaying her hips.

'_Wow, I'm surprised his eyes didn't pop out!'_ The raven though as the brunette practically started to drool.

The puppet master, ever oblivious, slouched on by a love-struck Shikamaru, with a very amused Natsumi following behind. 'So, where is the office?'

'Follow me.' piped up the blond. Walking down brightly coloured hall, Temari and her boyfriend leading the way, the group met up with a dark haired woman carrying a tea tray.

'Oh, Shikamaru-kun! Have you seen Lady Tsunade any-' Surprise crossed her face. 'Aiee! The-they're already?! Oh-oh no! Lady Tsunadddeee!' Turning quickly, the frazzled woman ran down the passage, screaming something about a hangover.

'What a pain…' was all the brunette had to say as he approached a large door, with the kanji for "Fire" emblazed on it. He knocked twice, not waiting for a reply before pulling it open.

There, slumped over a paper covered desk, was a tall blond woman. She was slightly red in the face and had a few bottles of what appeared to be sake scattered though out the room. Hiccupping slightly, she looked towards the door in wonder.

'Shizzzuuuunne? Iss that *hick* you?' slurred the Hokage in a drunken stupor. Natsumi cringed, Kankuro developed a twitch in his right eye, and Temari openly stared.

'_Is that really the Hokage!?' _wondered the raven in shock.

'Hey, Shizune! She's in here!' shouted Shikamaru. Moments later, the high strung dark haired woman from the hall appeared in the doorway.

'LADY TSUNADE!' Rushing to the drunk's side, she whipped out a tiny vial filled with a purplish liquid and poured the entire thing into the nearest sake cup.

'S-stop yelling, *hick* muh head iss killin mee!' the Hokage whined, reaching for the tampered cup. Lifting it to her lips, she downed it in a single mouthful.

Her assistant smiled slightly.

Suddenly, Tsunade's eyes began to dilate, and she began to shiver. The redness in her cheeks disappeared and her eyes sharpened. Rubbing her head, she looked directly at the group of ninja before her.

'Dear god, what time is it?' Shikamaru shook his head.

Shikamaru shook his head. 'It's about time for you to sober up and learn not to drink while working. Jeez, the backup from Suna's here waiting for their mission. Man, what a drag…' Sighing, the Hokage pushed herself out of the chair, leaning on Shizune for support.

'Sorry, long night. Anyways, yes, about the mission.' The ninjas straightened up, hiding their snickers and snide remarks about drunks and dumb blond jokes. 'Three members of Konoha's ANBU have been discovered to be doing some undercover work for the Akatsuki. So for, they've managed to steal several important scrolls containing forbidden jutsu, taken seven hostages AND fucked with our main source of information regarding the group's movements!' cried the harried Hokage.

'And yet, we haven't been able to identify them.' Shizune sighed, looking harried.

'So, I'm pulling three of my own personal… friends out of the ANBU ranks, and that's where you three come in.' Tsunade stated, looking slightly triumphant. Grinning a post drunken grin, she continued. 'I want you to find these three rouge ninja and bring them in for interrogation by whatever means necessary. Ibiki will take over from there. But once we have the information we need-'

'We should be able to locate the main Akatsuki hideout!' finished the dark haired assistant with a small smile. Understanding dawned on the faces of most of the ninja.

'When do we start?' asked Kankuro, eager to get going. Grinning, Temari nodded in agreement. Natsumi smiled.

'Right away, actually.'

A knock on the door. Still smiling, the Hokage called out, 'Come on in!'

The door swung open to reveal three ninja in ANBU uniforms, their porcelain masks gleamed in the light. Upon entering, they knelt down in front of Tsunade with their heads bowed and arms crossed over their chest.

'What are your orders, Lady Hokage?' demanded the first person in a harsh voice. The second and third simple stayed silent.

'I'm pulling you guys out of ANBU for a while, just until this thing is over. Therefore, I shall be assigning you temporary identities.' Thinking for a moment, she pointed to the first person. 'You shall be… Nonami. Please remove your mask.'

Slowly reaching up, the first man pulled off his mask and exposed his unseen face. He ran a thick hand through his short brown hair. 'Alright.'

'You are, uh, Mizu.' she exclaimed, pointing to the second ninja. As it turns out, this one was a woman with long auburn hair tied into a braid and dull green eyes.

'Okay then, Lady Hokage.'

'And finally, you're Daraku, for the time being.' The third man was slim, had shoulder length black hair and wore a stony expression on his tanned face.

'Yes. Of course.'

'And now, Temari, I want you to be Mizu's replacement. Kankuro will be covering for Nonami, which leaves Daraku to be covered by Natsumi. Now then, if you have any questions, I will address them tomorrow when you come back to suit up.' Turning back towards her desk, Tsunade waved her hand, motioning them to leave. 'Dismissed.'

When the door closed, the could still hear Konoha's drunken Hokage whimpering about too much light in the office and how she was going back to sleep.

As the group where about to leave the building, Shizune come jogging up beside them. 'I'm sorry, but Lady Tsunade forgot to mention that there will be three other Konoha shinobi joining you on this mission.'

'What do you mean?' inquired the raven. 'I thought…'

'No, hah hah! I meant on the second part of your mission.' she laughed nervously. 'Ah, here they come now.' The sand ninja looked in the direction that the older woman was pointing. From down the lane, two brightly dressed teens were strolling on by, when they caught sight of the others.

Natsumi recognized the girl with the shocking pink hair and clashing outfit as Sakura, from the ramen shop. The other one had sun kissed blond hair and bright blue eyes, and wore an orange and black track suit. From the way he cringed every time she looked at him, this must have been the idiot that was trying to put a hefty bill on Sakura.

'Oh, Shizune-san! What's going on here?' Sakura asked, looking at Kankuro, Temari and Natsumi.

'Hey! Nice-tah see you two again! Dattebayo!' grinned the blond enthusiastically. Facing the raven, he stuck out his hand and took hold of hers. 'My name is Uzumaki Naruto! What's yours?' he asked happily while he energetically pumped her hand up and down.

'Na-Natsumi.' she replied, slightly unnerved by the hyperactive blond. But his attention was now focused on Shizune, whom he had begun bombarding with questions.

'So, what did Grandma Tsunade want? Are me and Sakura-chan goin on a mission together? Why are they here? Some kinda festival? Hey, how about Gaara? Is he here to?'

'_My god, is he ALWAYS like this?'_ Natsumi wondered as she continued to watch the frazzled assistant be assaulted with pointless questions.

'NARUTO!' The pink haired girl angrily stomped towards the now cowering Naruto. Taking hold of the front of his shirt, she began to violently shake him until she was satisfied. She then turned to Shizune and began to apologize for his awful manners.

'It's okay. Don't worry about it, just let Naruto-kun go.' she laughed. Shrugging, Sakura let go of Naruto and watched as he fell to the ground in a heap of orange. 'But, you were right. You and Sakura will be going on a mission together, but you'll also be with Temari, Kankuro, Natsumi and Lee. Which also answers your other question. Their here as our allies, and they will be helping us out with our little problem.'

'And no, Gaara didn't come. He's Kazekage now, he can't just up and leave on a whim.' the Puppet Master stated. A crest fallen look appeared on the little blonde's face. 'However, he did ask me to tell you that he sends his regards and hopes you're doing well. Oh, and he says good luck with your part of the mission.' Kankuro smiled as the Naruto's face lit up at his friend's message.

'Ah well, so he's doing good then?' Thus the blond and the brunette got into a long "catching up" conversation, which was mainly about the young Kazekage. Natsumi stood, half listening to the conversation between Sakura, Temari and Shikamaru and the conversation the two young men were having.

Feeling rather left out, she began to study her surroundings and trying to get a sense of the village she would be spending the next few weeks in. That's when she noticed another black haired individual wearing the same vest as Shikamaru come running up.

'I am so sorry that I am late! It will not happen again! If I am late, I will run two hundred laps around the village… ON MY HANDS! That is a promise! Now, what have I missed?' Both fists clenched tightly at his chest, he gave a wide eyed grin. Spying Natsumi, he flashed another grin. 'I am Rock Lee! What is your name?'

'I'm Natsumi. Nice to meet you Lee.' Smiling nervously, she wondered if everyone in Konoha was as strange as the few she had met so far.

'_Shikamaru is the lazy bastard with no motivation what so ever. He'll be easy to remember. Sakura is the violent and colour blind girl with pink hair. Naruto… hyperactive and an idiot. And now Lee, the one with the bowl cut and no fashion sense. Even the Hokage, she's a drunk! How the hell does this work?'_

He gave her the thumbs up, then turned to Shizune.

'Am I going with them on this mission?' She nodded. Suddenly, the air was ablaze with flailing green limbs and shouts of utter joy. 'Gai-sensei, I will make you proud! I will fight with the full power of Youth!' Tears spilling down his still smiling face, he began to jump around. All conversations ceased and everyone took a few steps back to avoid being struck by the spandex wearing chunin.

'Anyways, I really should be getting back to Lady Tsunade now. Enjoy your evening and see you all tomorrow!' All seven shinobi watched Shizune's receding back, until she had disappeared from view.

An awkward silence ensued. They all stood around, looking around, or at their shoes, until Naruto's stomach killed it. A long, loud growl erupted from him.

'Aw man, I'm starving! Dattebayo!' he whined pathetically. 'Hey, I got an idea! Let's all got go out for some ramen!'

The sand shinobi, tired and hungry, weren't about to complain. And since they were the guests, that meant Shikamaru had to escort them. And if Naruto went, Sakura had to go to make sure he didn't do something stupid, and if Sakura went, Lee would follow faithfully. (2)

This meant that Ichiraku's would be very busy that night as new friends were made, and old ones caught up.

Unknown to the merry group, there was a another, cloaked in darkness, and watching over them with intense eyes. For most of the evening, this shadow went unnoticed. Only when the ninja parted and returned home, did one of them feel the eyes one their back. Turning, Natsumi gazed up at the roof tops. Although she couldn't see in the dark, she was able to sense its presence. But she wasn't afraid…

'HEY! You comin chibi? We still have to get to the hotel!' called Temari from up front. Casting one final glance over her shoulder, she quickened her pace until she caught up with the others.

Hopping down from its perch, the shadowy figure silently dashed across the tops of the buildings, following two oblivious sand ninja and one beautiful raven…

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Well, I really hoped you like it so far. The plot is beginning to form and things have started moving along nicely.

Just so you all know:

(1) yes, I am aware that Konoha is the Village Hidden in the Leaves (despite the fact I did say trees, I do know what I'm talking about… *heh heh*)

(2) the pairings I have in this (so you're not confused as this all plays out) are GaaOC, ShikaTema, SakuLee PeiKon, SasuNaru, ItaKisa, SasoDei and KakuHida (yes, yaoi, people. I will not lie!) as well as some other not too important pairing. These are the ones that are most important and shall have the most crack. XD

Your comments are greatly appreciated and I hope you continue!

SHOUT OUT TO MY MUSE! DEVILDEMONCHILD_LUVSCOOKIES!!! YOU IS A LIFE SAVER!! 3

So pleez, R&R and tell me what you think!! I luv you all!


	6. Chapter 5

**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! Since I have nobody to share it with (again), I've decided to spend it with you (my amazing readers) my Gaara plushie and my super smexy Akatsuki minus Konan plushies, all while worshipping Lord Jashin-sama! XD (Ahh, just ignore the unloved, Jashinist author) I hope you enjoy this chapter. So far, it's been one of my favourites to write!**

**MILD YAOI WARNING! (yaoi = guy on guy smex!) DON'T LIKE… DON'T READ! HAHAHAHAHA!!**

**I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! (… hah, I wish… SasuNaru fillers… *nosebleed* XD The only kind of fillers I like…) MASHASI KISIMOTO DOES!!**

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**Chapter 5 ~ Instincts **

OMJ THREE WEEK TIMESKIP

'Hey, slow down Sakura-chan! I can't keep up! Dattebayo!' whined Naruto as the pink haired girl shot forward yet again in an attempt to rid herself of the annoying blond boy. Natsumi laughed silently to herself. But she contained herself, knowing that this was a very important mission.

Thinking back over the last few days, she was able to remember everything that the defectors Kankuro, Temari and herself had captured had been through…

_~~~~~~~~~~ FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~_

'_You three think you're so smart! Well, we'll never tell you anything!' shouted the first man angrily as Ibiki finished setting up his "devices". _

_The raven stood silently, fearing that her tears would drip down her face and fall to the ground. The brightly coloured mask could hide her face, but she was far from cold, and had heard that the methods used by Ibiki were horridly cruel. _

_Once he had begun, the three men began screaming for mercy, but showed no signs for giving up any information. Temari stood next to the shaking girl and looped her arm through Natsumi's. Glancing over at her brother, the blonde motioned for them to leave._

_Once they were out of the interrogation room, the three removed their masks. The raven was surprised to see Kankuro, the supposedly hard core tough guy, was struggling to hold back tears. Normally, she would have laughed at him, but considering how there were tears already caressing her cheek, she reached out and patted his shoulder._

'_We don't have to go back in there. We're needed up in the Hokage's office for further instructions.' the blonde mumbled to her comrades. Nodding slowly, the three sand ninja walked slowly out of the dank basement and up into the brightly lit halls of the manor._

… _And she was still able to remember the last thing she had heard as she had left. The youngest of the traitors, a seventeen year old named Hato, had screamed a name, just before everything went quiet._

_VALLEY OF THE END!_

_~~~~~~~~~~ END FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~_

Now, the six ninja were moving swiftly through the forest, on their way to the infamous battle ground. Not only was it where Uchiha Madara had fought the first Hokage and said to have died, but it was also where Naruto had fought Sasuke and lost.

At first, Tsunade's assistant, Shizune, was worried about what Naruto's reaction to where they were being sent, but the Hokage said it was about time for him to face the facts and move on. Sakura seemed little down because of this as well.

Naruto had fallen back and was once again chatting with Kankuro, while Temari was subconsciously trying to outdo Lee by jumping farther, or running faster. Thus leaving the raven alone again. So she called out to the other girl.

'Hey, Sakura-chan! Wait up!' The pink haired girl looked back in surprise.

'Sure.' She slowed her pace, allowing Natsumi to reach her side. Smiling, the raven konoichi arched an eyebrow as the other girl, once again, knocked the blond to the ground. 'I wish he would just leave me alone for once!' she huffed in exasperation.

'Pardon me for asking, but why is Naruto-kun so attached to you?' Natsumi had been wondering this ever since she had met the two of them, because Sakura clearly didn't share the same feelings that Naruto had for her.

Sighing, Sakura motioned for her to move closer. Complying with her, Natsumi moved until the two girls were practically touching.

'It's not that he's attached to ME, but it's more just a way to cope with his… loss.' Sakura whispered. The young raven could detect a hint of something in her voice. Sorrow, perhaps, or even regret.

'His loss? What did he lose?' She had seen people that has lost things before. Hell, she lost stuff all the time. But she had never heard of someone becoming attached to someone else to cope with it. That's when it hit her. She knew what the other girl meant . 'Wait, he didn't lose someTHING, did he? It was someONE.'

She realized this once she had really thought through his situation. In all honesty, she had grown very attached to Temari and Kankuro after the death of her parents, even though the age difference should have made her Gaara's friend. But at that point, he was far beyond the point of friendship. He was too engulfed in the darkness of his heart. But other than that, she was able to pull herself together after a couple of weeks, and managed to eke out a good life. 'How long has it been?'

'… It'll be three years next month.' The raven gasped.

_That long? And he's still not over it? I understand mourning for those that have been lost, but that's ridiculous!_

'Who did he lose? For him to still be like this, it must have been someone very precious to him.' Sakura looked over at Natsumi.

'He lost his lover…' she explained sadly. This made more sense to the sand nin. Natsumi dropped her head in sympathy.

'Oh no… How awful. Sorry for asking, but how did she die?' To her surprise, the pink haired konoichi laughed. Shock crossed the raven's face. 'What? Did I say something wrong?'

'Well, she didn't die for one thing. And the other, the "she" to which you're referring to is actually a "he".' Laughter erupted from the leaf ninja when she saw the look of Natsumi's face. She laughed so loudly that the others stopped chatting and looked towards the hysterical konoichi.

'So, you mean… he's gay?' the raven whispered, still in shock. Still smiling, Sakura nodded.

'Remember when Suna helped us track that missing-nin, Uchiha Sasuke?' Nodding suspiciously, Natsumi wondered what she was getting at. 'Well, Sasuke-kun was Naruto-kun's boyfriend at the time. He had always been shunned and alone, so when Sasuke came into his life, he became much more open and loving towards everyone. Not that he wasn't before, it's just that he became more tolerable. But when Sasuke left in search of power in order to kill his older brother, Itachi, Naruto went into a catatonic state. Everyone was worried that he would try to kill himself. But instead, he grew closer to me.' Sakura explained.

Giggling, the raven leaned in closer. 'How did you find this out? Did Naruto-san tell you?'

'Not exactly. You see, after Shikamaru-kun was promoted to Chunin, we decided to throw a huge party for him. So, once the party was in full swing, Ino thought it would be funny to play Seven Minutes in Heaven…

_~~~~~~~~~~ FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~~_

'_Play WHAT?!' Kiba asked, dumbfounded. Ino grinned like a Cheshire cat as she pull a black cap out from behind her back._

'_Seven Minutes in Heaven, dog breath. You pull a name from the hat and then whoever you get-' She was cut off by one of her comrades, Chouji. He was munching a bag of potato chips and frowning._

'_We all know what the game is. But why would anyone really want to play?'_

'_Really, Ino? All that game is an excuse to make out with someone!' chimed in Tenten from across the room. Neji, who was sitting beside said brunette, nodded silently in agreement before turning back to his conversation with Shikamaru._

_Blushing slightly, Hinata turned to the pink haired girl next to her. 'I-I hope th-that Naruto-kun is g-going to pl-play…' Smiling, Sakura patted her shoulder sympathetically._

_Lee jumped up, a huge smile on his face. 'Maybe today is the day I shall make Sakura-chan my girlfriend! I she does not agree, then I shall-'_

'_No. I won't date you.' Sakura replied flatly. He seemed to not have heard her, for he continued to rant about it._

'_That's a stupid game. I won't do it.' growled the Uchiha from his spot next to the still grinning blonde. _

'_Aww, come on Sasuke! It'll be fun!' laughed Naruto as he popped up from behind the couch Shino and Kiba had crashed on._

_Looking around, Shino spoke for the first time all evening. 'There are more boys than girls here.' Still smiling and unfazed by the rejection, Ino held the hat out to the group._

'_Don't worry 'bout that. It's all taken care of. Now grab a paper and write something on it. No names!' she called out cheerfully as everyone got up and took a slip from the blonde. As everyone headed to different corners of the room, Sakura noted that Ino had made Naruto take two slips of paper._

'_He-here, Ino-chan. I-I got the other b-bowl.' studdered Hinata, handing the blonde girl a smaller glass dish. Ino grinned._

'_Thanks, Hinata-chan! Now then, girls put your name in this one, boys in the other!' Once that was done, she held the bowl out. 'Who wants to go first?'_

_A wolfish grin on his face, Kiba jumped up and howled. 'Damn, this one's mine!' He reached out and plucked a paper from the Girl's Bowl. Opening it, he read out the word written down. 'Butterfly? Okay, who's got butterfly?' _

_Without waiting to see who he had got, the brunette leap over the couch and ran into the closet. Blushing a deep crimson, Hinata shuffled over to the door. Glancing back sadly at Naruto, she slid shyly into the tiny closet. Everyone smothered their laughter._

'_So, anyone wanna make a bet?' Tenten asked. 'I say fifty-five ryo that Hinata runs out on him!' Taking up her offer, Lee shot his hand up._

'_Oh, I do not think that she will run out. In fact, I will bet that Kiba-kun will kiss Hinata-chan! If I am wrong, I will give Tenten fifty-five ryo and do two hundred push ups… ONE HANDED PUSH UPS! That is a promise!'_

_Once all of the bets had been placed, the group watched the closet until the time had run down. Wondering what had happened, Ino skipped over and knocked on the door before pulling it open. Everyone in the room looked disappointed as Hinata ran out of the closet, still red in the face. _

'_O-oh, Na-Naruto-k-kun… I-I'm so so-sorry…' she whispered, stuttering worse than usual._

_Kiba strolled out, flashed the group a thumbs up and sat back down in the chair opposite Sasuke. Tenten groaned._

'_Here Lee, I guess this is yours.' she sighed, pulling out her wallet. Everyone laughed._

'_Sasuke-kun, you should go next.' Sakura purred, hoping he would pull her name. he frowned, but moved towards Ino. Reaching in, both konoichi held their breath. Yanking the paper out of the dish, he opened it and read it out loud._

'… _It says deception?' Sasuke looked up, wondering who had written it. Suddenly, his jaw unhinged as he saw Naruto hop up and open the door._

'_Well, aren't cha coming Sasuke?' he grinned. Said raven blanched until he looked like someone had bleached his skin, as his eyes bulged, and he stuggled to shut his gaping mouth. Naruto chuckled, amused by his unusual reaction, while Ino and Sakura both looked ready to kill._

'_B-but I thought that it was girl-boy!' Sasuke whimpered. Smirking mischievously, Naruto began to form hand signs, and shouted his trade mark pervy jutsu._

'_Sexy no Jutsu!' Where Naruto once stood, now stood a beautiful, blonde haired girl with a cute pout on her tanned face. 'Nnh, what are you waiting for, Sasu-chan?' Naruto asked seductively. The blonde smirked and chuckled again as all the blood drained from the raven's face. Sasuke rarely made any facial expressions, but when he did, they were always pretty damn funny._

'_Oh hell no. I'm not going in that closet with Naruto!' Angrily, he turned to Ino. 'Is this what you meant when you said you had taken care of things?!'_

'_We-well, Sasuke-kun, I didn't think that you would pick him. It was just meant to even out the amount of boys and girls…' she whined. Flipping his long hair, Naruto winked._

'_My name's not Naruto. I'm Naruko. Are you going to keep me waiting, nnh, Sasu?' she pleaded in a sweet tone while giving him the puppy eyes. From the other side of the room, Kiba wolf-whistled. Everyone in the room cracked up, with Sakura, Ino, and Sasuke being the exception, who's faces went from bleach white to tomato red._

_Then, out of nowhere, the raven actually got up and flipped off the room before pushing "Naruko" towards the tiny closet. Wide eyed and in a panic, the blond struggled to escape the Uchiha's death grip._

'_You'll pay for this baka!' Sasuke whispered menacingly to the blond "girl". Giving one last shove, he sent Naruko tumbling backwards into the confined space. 'I swear, you're ALL going to pay for this later… And I assure you, it will make Ibiki's torture sessions seem like tea parties.' Glaring bloody daggers at his friends, he stepped inside, over the felled blond and slammed the door shut. The countdown was on._

_Silence rang eerily throughout the large room. Everyone looked nervously at one another, or at the closet door, wondering what was happening within the confines of the tiny black room…_

_~~~~~~~~~~ END FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~~~~~_

Natsumi had been listening with interest as the pink haired girl recounted the night of the party. Now the story had hit its peak, and she was dying to hear how it ended.

'Come on, Sakura-chan, don't leave me in suspense! What happened?' the raven begged, dark blue eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

'Basically, when the time had run down, Ino and I ran to that closet as fast as we could. It was only seven minutes, but to us, it felt more like seven years. We didn't even knock. We just kinda ripped the door open.' As she spoke, Natsumi could see a faint blush appear on the other's cheeks.

'What? What were they doing?'

'Let's just say this; when we burst in, both Sasuke and Naruto were shirtless, Sasuke had his hands down Naruto's pants, tongues in each other's mouths, moaning, biting…' Natsumi flushed, not familiar with such an awkwardly graphic situation. 'But just the fact that Naruto had released his jutsu and was doing those things with Sasuke, who seemed to be enjoying it as much as the other boy, was enough to give me a gushing nosebleed.'

'… Oh my god!' She turned her head away form Sakura, who was grinning like a jackal.

'Yeah, we pretty much just sort of left them in there for a while. They came out after a half an hour.' she laughed. Natsumi cringed, but it wasn't from her friend's story.

_What is that? I've never felt a chakra so menacing, so powerful._

Suddenly, Shikamaru halted the group and motioned for quiet. Everyone drew closer to the young man.

'I sense a powerful chakra up ahead. We need to proceed with caution. I don't want to have to fight any unnecessary battles.' the lazy chunin whispered.

_So it seems that I'm not the only one who's noticed it. I wonder… _

'I think,' began Lee, 'that the chakra is coming from the direction of the Valley.'

'Is it really a good idea then to continue?' asked Sakura, poking her head over Naruto's shoulder. Kankuro looked over at his sister, who turned to the raven haired Konoha ninja. He shrugged and glanced at Naruto, who stood next to Natsumi.

The six ninja stood, huddled in a circle, as they argued about the best course of action for a good twenty minutes.

_This is ridiculous. We need to get moving. This mission is important to both nations, considering how close we are in relation to the others in the alliance._

Another five minutes passed before someone did anything.Glancing around at his bickering team mates, Kankuro got the brilliant idea to ask the leader of the mission.

'What do you think, Shikamaru-san?'

'I think that we should try to avoid entering the Valley from the area near the chakra, but we should still-' The brunette stopped talking, and he looked around sharply. 'Where's Natsumi-chan?'

Branches whipped by at an amazing speed as the lone sand shinobi blasted past, trying to make up for lost time. She had left the others behind, and was feeling kind of guilty about it, but she knew that they had to get to the Valley.

_What those defectors had said, the Akatsuki might not be there for very long. By the time we show up, they could be long gone and their trail stone cold._

Not daring to slow her pace, Natsumi continued to speed by, hoping to find the Valley before the strange chakra disappeared. Then, out of nowhere, a strange figure emerged from the GROUND… about fifteen feet from her. Skidding to a halt, she was assaulted by a wave of dizziness.

_This power! I-it's overwhelming!_

She realized that this thing was the source of the chakra they had been feeling.

_Why did we think it was coming from the Valley? What's going on here? What is that thing?_

Natsumi quickly moved into the bushes, but continued to watch the creature. _Call it observe and report._ The thing in the path was fairly tall, and appeared to have a large green venues flytrap protruding from its shoulders. But what drew her eyes to this wasn't the shell, it was the black cloak emblazed with red clouds.

_Akatsuki!_

'She was right here a minute ago! I just saw her! Dattebyo!' Naruto shouted at a extremely pissed off Kankuro, who was holding Shikamaru up against a tree while Sakura was trying to keep Temari from beating her brother's brains out.

'Her safety here means more to us than this mission, understand?' The puppet master's words dripped pure venom. 'She's like a little sister to me, and if anything happens to her-'

'SHUT THE HELL UP OUTOBO!' Finally about to break from the other girl's grasp, she launched a swift kick aimed at his shins. Reaching out, Lee caught her foot.

'That is enough! A brother and sister should not fight!' he stated with an uncharacteristic frown upon his face. He then turned to face the brown haired chunin. 'If we are to finish our mission, then we must find Natsumi-chan and make it to the Valley of the End.'

'What a drag! She couldn't have gone very far. She doesn't know her way around the forest like we do, and we know the exact location of the Valley, where she's probably just working off instinct. ~_Sigh~_ She's far too troublesome for her own good.' Shikamaru drawled as the group got up and back into formation. 'We're going to have to split up to cover more area. I don't like having to do this, so we need a way to keep in contact.'

'I have these!' Naruto exclaimed, pulling out two headsets. 'Kakashi-sensei told me it would be a good idea to bring them, just in case.' Shrugging, the teen took one, and passed the other Temari.

'Okay, we need to split into two teams. Kankuro, Lee and I will head towards the Valley, while Sakura, Naruto and Temari will search for Natsumi. If you can't find her within a half an hour, report to the Valley. Scatter!'

Natsumi was crouched amongst the berry bushes, frozen, fearing that every breath she took would draw its attention. Suddenly, the creature whipped around and locked eyes with the hidden konoichi. She gasped.

Those golden eyes narrowed dangerously, then turned around and began melding into the ground again. Desperate not to lose her only lead, the raven hopped out from behind the shrubs, hoping to pursue the strange man. But he had disappeared completely.

_Damnit!_

However, she soon realized that she could still sense his chakra moving north, and swallowing her fear, crept off after the lone Akatsuki member.

Shikamaru, Kankuro and Lee arrived in the Valley fifteen minutes after the group had split. They moved up onto the head of the First Hokage. Here, they had one of the best vantage points. Looking around, the sand nin noticed movement from the other side of the river.

'Look, I think it's Sakura!' He pointed over to where a pink head of hair had appeared over near a grove of trees. She waved, and motioned for them to look near the waterfall. They all turned and followed the pointed finger of their comrade.

There, near the edge of the river, was Natsumi. Kankuro was about to call out to her, when he noticed that she wasn't alone. Standing on a tiny island, was the one of the scariest thing the shinobi had ever seen.

But it was the cloak that really caught his attention. Actually, this was the THREE black cloaks.

'Th-that's Akatsuki!'

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~sigh~ FINALLY! I have completed this chapter! Letting everyone know that I couldn't have done this without the help of Devildemonchild_Luvs cookies!! YOU SAVED MY LIFE!

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I would love it if you reviewed!! PLEASE?!

I'm also open to suggestions for the next chapter, which basically means I need to know your fav. Akatsuki members!! Who do you wanna see fight?

Anyways, the next chapter might take a little longer, so yeah, be patient and stick with me! I LUV YOU ALL!! 3


	7. Chapter 6

Sorry for the wait! I've been working on a second fanfic, (which I hope goes over well!) and shit with school. But I'm good to go now.

Thanks for the reviews, they were appreciated! Enjoy!

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**Chapter 6 ~ Attacked**

Natsumi stared down at the scene she had stumbled upon; the tall green plant thing with gold eyes she had been following stood in front of an oversized shark man and a shorter black haired girl with a ponytail.

Instead of fear, the feeling that shot through her was curiosity. The three criminals were huddled on a small piece of land near the foot of Madara, and seemed to be deep in discussion. Hoping to catch a bit of their conversation, she employed a transparency jutsu she had picked up from Konoha's own pervert, and Naruto's sensei, Jiraiya, and began to creep closer.

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Sakura was the first to spot Natsumi as she crept silently thought the forest. She saw the young jounin moments before the jutsu took effect, and was about to call out to her, when she remembered who might be in ear shot of her voice.

Straining her eyes, the pink haired girl struggled to see around the brush blocking her view of the enemies' faces. Not wanting to draw unwanted attention to her group, Sakura raised her arm slowly to move a branch out of her way.

With a better view, she peered out from the trees. She could see that there were three men standing around on a small island, and they seemed to be deep in conversation it surprised her when she found that she actually recognized one of them.

_Sasuke?! _But she realized that it couldn't be him. He was too tall, and his hair was longer and darker than Sasuke's blue-black hair. Then it hit her. This was his older brother; the one he had vowed to murder for the death of his clan, the one on the receiving end of Sasuke's fury, the one that never left his thoughts.

_Uchiha Itachi!_

Hastily pushing the branch back into place, she stole a glance over to the blonde boy crouched next to her, desperately hoping he hadn't seen the elder Uchiha brother.

But fate's a bitch and destiny is a bastard. But the biggest problem, however, was when the two worked together, and all hell broke loose.

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On her hands and knees, the sand nin crawled forward at an annoyingly slow pace. She wanted so badly to move faster, but knew the risk of being caught was too great to even try. Soon enough though, she was close enough to the three that she was able to listen in on their conversation.

'It's about time for Leader-sama to make his move! We can't wait around forever!' This came from the tall blue man. 'I want to fight already!' The smaller one with black hair sighed.

'Kisame, calm down. We want to avoid all unnecessary battles. Conserve you're strength.' A strangely chilling, emotionless tone. Deep; defiantly not belonging to a female.

_Okay, so I was wrong. That black haired one's a guy. Huh. And the shark's named Kisame. Wait, could he be Hoshigaki Kisame, Kirigakure no Kaijin**, and one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? _She grimaced, recalling the stories she had heard about them. She was on her own with not only three S-ranked criminals, but one of them was from Chigiri no Sato, the Blood Mist Village. Only then did she realize the severity of her situation. _Oh man, this might end badly if I'm caught._

'Don't worry. **You're about to get your chance.** Yes, I can't- **Shut up.**' From the plant-like man came two separate voices; a calm, almost sheepish voice, and the second one was harsher and more cruel.

'What do you mean by that, Zetsu-san?' asked Kisame, peering at the green man with interest. His partner sighed and looked to the skies.

'You see, Leader-sama has ordered the capture of the Jinchuuriki. **Which means that we'll all be busy for a while**.' The plant man, Zetsu, grinned at the thought. The shorter one shuddered and the fish man turned a strange shade of purple.

At the word Jinchuuriki, Natsumi's ears perked up. _So it is the Jinchuuriki the Akatsuki are after. Gaa- er, Lord Kazekage, had suspected as much._

'**Anyways, your orders are to locate the Nine-Tailed Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto**. Leader-sama chose your team for this one because of your familiarity with Konoha. **Don't lie. They were just closer**. No, it's because - **Shut your mouth. **What? I was just- **No one wants to hear it.** But I- **Shut up.**'

While Zetsu argued with himself, Kisame turned to the ex-Konoha shinobi. 'Man, I wish he wouldn't do that. It's freakier than that time we all got completely wasted at Deidara's nineteenth birthday, dressed up in pink spandex booty shorts and woke up as hired dancers at a gay strip club. I still can't believe Kakuzu sold us for five hundred yen a piece!' He shuddered, and Natsumi began to gag.

_Oh god, too much information! And here I thought these guys were supposed to be some of the most evil, cruel, wanted criminals to come out of their villages… _

Her disgust turned into a sick kind of amusement, and she began to snicker quietly, but quickly stopped herself. With a frown, the long haired man and the plant thing both smacked Kisame upside the head, earning a pained groan from the fish like man.

'What the hell was that for?!' he growled, rubbing the base of his head.

'None of us wanted to remember that, Kisame-san! **That's why we promised never to speak of it again as long as we lived, damnit! **I was just about to say that. **Shut up, no one cares!**'

Kisame and the smaller man sighed in annoyance while shaking their heads as the golden eyed plant man fought with himself again.

'Like I said, freaky.'

'But anyways, we need to get back to business. **You will being meeting with the artists later today**. So Leader-sama has asked you to tell them their quota. **But why they can't just ask him themselves, is beyond me…**' The plant man pulled two small scrolls from his robes and handed them to the others.

'We can do that. Leave it to us.' The raven haired Akatsuki member took both scrolls, pocketing them swiftly and silently. Casting a fleeting glance over his shoulder, he withdrew several shurikin from a hidden pocket in his sleeve. 'Although I think we may have a bit of a problem here.' Then he let loose with a hail of deadly weapons, all aimed at the well concealed Suna shinobi.

Startled, she jumped up and hastily dodged the flying shurikin that came speeding toward her. Bad idea, for the next thing she knew, she has being suspended several feet in the air by the huge shark-like Kisame. He had somehow managed to get a hold on her silky black hair, and now held her out in front of the other two.

_Shit, how the hell am I going to get out of this one?_

'A spy? Was she the one- **Yeah, this was the one following us. I can take care of her easily**. So, you knew? **Of course I knew baka**. That's not very nice, you know. **Shut up, who ever said I was nice**?' he growled as he reached out towards the frightened girl, while Kisame laughed. The one with the pony tail, on the other hand, shook his head.

'Do not be so hasty Zetsu-san. Kisame, show her to me.' Scowling, both men obeyed. Kisame held her out to his partner. Raising a pale hand, he lifted her chin and stroked her flushed cheeks with his thumb. His icy eyes seemed to soften, and the corners of his lips turned up ever so slightly. She shuddered at the unwanted physical contact. 'Look, she's from Sunagakure;' he began, dropping his hand to tap her forehead protector she wore around her neck. 'Having her could be an advantage. I'm sure Deidara-san and Sasori-san can use her as a bargaining chip in the capture of the One-Tailed Shukaku.' the smaller one reasoned.

She kept her face perfectly blank and continued to breathe normally in the presence of her captors. But on the inside, her mind was reeling. _The Shukaku? But that would mean that they're after Gaara too! Damnit, I hope the jounin council knows! _She didn't have any time to sort through the situation, because a loud, obnoxious voice cut though the tense atmosphere like a hot knife through butter.

'IIITAAACHIIII!'

All heads turned towards the tree-lined cliffs. From the forest above, came a streak of orange and black hurtling directly toward the assembled shinobi. Yanking the now struggling raven closer to him, Kisame jumped back onto the river, using his chakra to keep him and his hostage afloat. Zetsu morphed back into the rock of the island, and the reasonable Akatsuki member, Itachi, pulled out another handful of metal stars. Natsumi mentally face palmed at the blonde's idiocy.

'No, Naruto!' Although the captured konoichi wasn't able to see who had called out, on account of the fish man having her by the hair, she knew it had been Sakura. She was suddenly jerked around, and was now able to watch Naruto land across from the raven haired Uchiha. The entrance would have been truly dramatic and possibly even imposed fear, but the wind had shifted last minute, blowing the falling boy off course and into the rushing river.

_Oh yes, my hero…_ she though sarcastically, watching from her high vantage point. Her captor began to chuckle as Naruto surfaced, coughing and spitting up water in a very lucrative fashion.

'Uchiha Itachi,' he growled as he picked himself up and crawled out of the river. Natsumi could see his eyes were no longer the brilliant blue of sapphires, but a deep crimson red and that the scars on his cheeks had darkened and become more prominent. 'You're coming with me.'

Said raven arched a slender brow and scoffed quietly. 'And how do you plan on doing that, Uzumaki? You are but one, simple child with very little real power.' Kisame laughed loudly at this, making the Suna shinobi shiver. Her eyes darted around, trying to figure out where the others were and why they weren't helping.

'Well, that was easy. **Heh, I can't believe this. I think I'm going to stick around for this fight**.' Zetsu had reappeared further up on the carved mountainside, and had absolutely no intention of fighting.

The sopping wet Naruto glared daggers at the older raven, but tore his eyes away only to lock them in on Kisame. 'Let Natsumi-chan go, fish face,' he snarled. 'Or I'll bring you down too.' The shark man grinned.

'Well, this is perfect, isn't it? I can just leave him to you, right Itachi?' He nodded. 'Then I'll go meet up with the others.'

'If you're going to see the others, then you had better take this.' Itachi tossed a colourful scroll towards his huge partner, who caught it and stuffed it neatly within a pocket. Natsumi recognized it as the quota scroll for the members the other two referred to as Sasori and Deidara, who she believed to be the ones that would be after Gaara.

'Got cha. Hurry though; you know how Sasori hates to be kept waiting. Oh, and don't kill the Kyuubi kid. I want the please of doing that myself after the sealing ceremony.' Turning on his heel and still holding the raven konoichi, he broke into a run.

Naruto lunged to try and get a hold of the fleeing Akatsuki member, only to have a fist driven into his gut at an awkward angle. 'GAHHHHH!' His eyes widened in pain and he coughed up a bit of blood, then fell to his knees. Natsumi gasped and lashed out at her captor.

'God damnit, you ogre, let me GO!' He stopped, lifting her until their eyes were level. She jolted up her death glare that she usually saved for Temari and Kankuro if they decided to wake her before eight.

'Don't think so. You're going to be a useful little tool later on. We're not going to give you up that easily.' he chuckled, continuing on down the river.

'I DO NOT THINK SO!' Startled, Kisame looked up quickly, only to have a size ten, black-clad foot planted itself into his face. The cavalry had arrived.

'Well, it's about time!' Taking advantage of her captor's injury, Natsumi grasped his arm and swung her foot as hard as she could into that one place that men cherished above all else.

A sickening crunch echoed around the river, followed by a blood-curdling scream. The shark man dropped to the ground clutching himself, while the raven girl leapt backwards toward Lee, Shikamaru and Kankuro. The three other men twitched and backed away from the freed konoichi.

'Th-that was a bit harsh, Natsumi-chan.' whined Kankuro, as he watched the criminal writhe on the ground, wailing in pain and agony. Natsumi turned swiftly towards her comrade. So swiftly, in fact, that Kankuro feared the same treatment and covered himself with a whimper.

She gave a dark grin. 'He had it coming. I regret nothing.' Natsumi finished with a threatening tone.

'Gosh, please remind me never to annoy you, for I do not wish to end up like him.' Lee shuddered. 'I just might need mine at some point in the future!' She rolled her cobalt eyes, thinking how practically every word out of the Konoha ninja's mouth seemed to somehow annoy or sicken her.

Shikamaru turned on her with a very serious tone of voice, which was unusual for the normally laid back young man. 'Natsumi-chan, what the hell were you thinking? Not only did you put the mission in jeopardy by getting yourself kidnapped, but you also endangered the lives of your fellow shi-' He was stopped short by an icy glare from the Suna konoichi.

'Look, I know what I did, but as I said before, I don't regret it. In fact, because of my 'kidnapping', I have a bit of information that could come in handy. So get the hell off my case please and thank you!' Natsumi growled wearily. She then looked over to the impaired Akatsuki who was still twitching and moaning painfully on the ground. 'What are we going to do about him?'

'I can take him back to the village!' Lee volunteered happily. Just as the enthusiastic ninja reached the shark man, Natsumi saw something that caused her to cry out in a panic.

'NO, LEE!' But it was too late, she hadn't been fast enough. Kisame had recovered enough to get a good grip on his bandage wrapped sword and have the strength to swing it easily. The heavily bandaged blade smashed into Lee, knocking him back a good thirty feet and into a tree.

'Fuck, that HURT, you little BITCH!' he seethed, angered at the painful humiliation he had suffered at Natsumi's hands… er, foot. Kisame ran at the group, ready to shred them apart.

* * *

Itachi stood silently shaking his head as he heard his partner scream out in pain. He then turned his attention back to the trembling blonde boy in front of him, now flanked by two of his female comrades.

'What is it you want from me, exactly?' he asked in a cool tone. Naruto pulled away from Sakura's touch and stood about three feet away from the ex-Konoha ninja.

'Sasuke… he's searching for you. It's why he left the village in the first place!' The hot headed shinobi's crimson eyes were filled with angry tears. 'If it's you he's after, then I figure the best chance I have of finding him would be to capture you, Itachi! Dattebayo!' Itachi shook his head.

'You believe that he'll come to you if you have me?' He laughed quietly at this, causing Naruto to hurl a dozen or so kunai at him in a blind rage. Itachi blocked them easily. 'Well, it seems there's no avoiding this one. Defeating two enemy ninja and capturing the Jinchuuriki in one day, so I suppose this is worth my while.'

'Naruto, don't do this!' Sakura cried in a hushed tone. 'He'll kill you!' The blonde snorted and rolled his eyes.

'Please, he couldn't kill me if he tri-' Eyes wide, he realized he had a kunai pressed to his throat. Itachi had moved so swiftly and so silently, no one had even seen him twitch, much less cover the distance between them in less than a second. Naruto could feel the Akatsuki's breath against the back of his neck as he spoke.

'It's true. I'm not meant to kill you, Uzumaki,' he whispered evilly. 'But that doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to rough you up a bit.'

Naruto gasped, preparing for the worst, when the hand on his neck fell away. 'Whaaa?'

'Kisame, what are you doing?' There was a hint of panic in the raven's voice as his partner as the large man came running at the smaller man, swinging his sword violently.

'GET OUT OF THE WAY!!' he screamed at the smaller ninja. Confused, Itachi leapt up and away from Kisame, expecting him to attack Naruto. But instead, he dashed by him and threw his blade up, aimed directly at the ex-Konoha ninja.

Natsumi flew past the attacking Akatsuki to where Naruto stood as he watched them battle it out. 'Naruto-kun, don't worry. Shikamaru-kun has that one, Kisame, in his Shadow Possession jutsu. Look.' She jerked her thumb at the mouth of the river. Sure enough, there was the brown haired chunin making large swinging motions with his arms. The raven laughed at the abnormal sight of the lazy ninja putting so much effort into something other than sleeping or whining.

_If I didn't know what he was doing, he would look pretty retarded._

As the others met back up and filled each other in, Shikamaru/Kisame managed to land a powerful, fatal hit on the defending Itachi. He fell to the ground, blood seeping from between his pale lips. The shark man blanched, trying to comprehend what he had just done, only to have his partner's body erupt into a flurry of inky black birds.

Natsumi stood, rooted to the spot as she watched the ravens spiral into the sky. _It was only a fucking clone?! Damnit! We screwed this one up. _She tensed, preparing for the attack that was sure to come.

The first strike was directed at the Shadow user; hundreds of shining black kunai rained down upon him, forcing him to release his Shadow Possession on Kisame.

'Well, it's about time, Itachi-san!' The blue man laughed evilly, but then groaned. 'Damn, that black haired brat has one hell of a powerful kick.'

With a roll of his crimson eyes, the real Itachi moved to stand next to his sore partner. From across the river, eyes met and locked, and fighting positions taken. Biting her lip in anticipation, Natsumi cast a long side glance over to Shikamaru. He was squatting on the ground, hands positioned so that it appeared to be holding a ball. She had heard from Temari that he sat like this when he was deep in thought; it was how he had beaten her in the chunin exams four years ago.

_Well,_ she thought, trying to calculate her team's odds of winning the fight, _Lee's out of it, and Sakura's healing him, so we're down to a five on two battle. _She sighed out loud. _But those two are Akatsuki, which gives them an advantage. Fuck, this isn't going to end well._

Both sides stood in a tense stand off on opposite sides of the river, waiting for the other to move, to blink, to breath. Several minutes trickled by without incident, before Zetsu began to get impatient.

'What's going on? They're just… STANDING there! **My god, this is so boring! I'd much rather watch one of Hidan-san's fights. **Why? We have a rare chance to witness the Sharingan in action! **Because at least his battles involve some MOVEMENT!**' From high up on the cliff, the freaky plant man continued to argue as the tension mounted in the river below.

_Good god! It's hard to be serious and intense in a fight with those two freaks arguing over everything that does or doesn't happen during it. Damn, I wish I would have brought some fucking weed killer…_

Then, at the peak of tension, the already fragile atmosphere shattered like glass when a new voice came from far above the gathered shinobi.

'My, my! What do we have here? Oh, is it a staring contest? It is, isn't it, Zetsu-san?' The sly yet seemingly care-free sounding voice rang out mockingly over the ravine. Natsumi and her band of ninja turned their eyes from the imposing Akatsuki towards the new voice, which came from high upon the head of the carved Uchiha Madara. The owner of the new voice was balancing ever so perilously on the nose of the great stone Uchiha. 'Oohh, I spy some little shinobi from Konoha! Hah hah ha- oh, and are those three from Suna?! Ah, so then it's a classic battle of good vs. evil, eh, Zetsu-san?'

The man wore the same black cloak emblazed with crimson clouds, but he also sported a bright orange mask with a single eyehole. Raven hair poked out from the top of the mask, and she could see darkly coloured gloves on his hands.

_What the HELL!? Not another one!_ The raven was starting to internally panic as the strange man leapt down from his stony perch and landed between his two comrades with a splash. _If the odds of winning this fight were bad before…_

'Tobi, you're late. **You're in for it now, baka**.' Zetsu had moved closer to the river, hoping to get a better vantage point to record the fight. The new Akatsuki, Tobi, laughed and waved the eager threat off.

'Right! Oh, hey, isn't that the Kyuubi kid Itachi-san is after? Hee hee, how convenient!'

The addition of a forth enemy proved to be too much for enraged Jinchuuriki. With a loud battle cry, Naruto leapt forward and formed a hand seal. The look in his eyes told Natsumi that no amount of reasoning would stop the raging blonde. She knew, because she had the same aura around her during the Suna riots five years ago, and the other villagers had tried to help.

'MULTI SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!' Fifteen Naruto clones plus the original now stood, spread out between the other ninja, in pairs. 'LET'S GO!'

Suddenly, the air was filled with leaping blondes wielding deadly rasengans, all aimed at the three Akatsuki members who opposed them. Held back from the battle by her superiors, Natsumi could do nothing but stand by and watch as Naruto's plan began to fail.

The first group of clones had been aimed at Tobi, the masked one, but none of the clones met their mark. It was almost like he had dodged them, but the raven saw what had really happened.

_Holy crap! H-he didn't move! But then, did they go… THROUGH him?! How is that even possible?_

The second group were attacking Kisame, but most had been wiped out with a single well placed swing of his huge sword. The rest of them were attempting to immobilize him with kunai. No such luck, and those were swiftly eliminated.

Finally, the last group, including the real Naruto, had launched their attack against Itachi. The Uchiha stood, unmoving as the clones descended upon him. Very calmly, he opened his eyes.

All of the blonde's clones disappeared, and Naruto screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground near the older raven's feet. Nether of them moved.

The konoichi blinked. She could hear the startled gasps of the sand siblings, and she began to wonder when Itachi had attacked. It had been so sudden, so fast, that she hadn't even seen it.

_Wait a second… his eyes are different! _Thinking back, she remembered looking over the files of the known Akatsuki members, and reading something about Itachi's sharingan being different than that of the rest of his clan. _That must be the mangekyo sharingan, capable of tsukoyomi._

Sure enough, several seconds later, Naruto began to scream bloody murder and withered on the tiny island. The Uchiha knelt down next to him and felt for a pulse. A thin smile ghosted its way across his lips and those red eyes faded to black moments later.

'The only one that can defeat me is one that shares my same blood. You are no match for me, Uzumaki Naruto.' He spoke these words as he reached down to pick him up, but Natsumi was faster. For a split second, she was a few inches from her opponent, her eyes locked with those of the Uchiha, but he didn't move, even as the younger raven grasped her blonde friend and pulled him out of reach.

Recognizing the effects of a genjutsu, Natsumi slapped her friend across the face, hoping to break him from it. She was about to go in for second swing, when his eyes opened and he took a lung full of air.

'Natsumi-chan!' He was swatting and pulling at his clothes, before he realized that it was an illusion. The Akatsuki member smirked as the girl helped him back up.

'Come to rescue him, have you?' Itachi seemed to be probing into the younger raven's soul, making her very uncomfortable.

'I-I'm here to help Naruto… defeat you.' His eyes darkened dangerously, but Natsumi kept her face carefully blank.

'A shallow fool like you never truly knows her own abilities.' Slowly closing his eyes, he drew a slow yet deep breath. Sensing him preparing for a fight, Naruto tensed expectantly. As Itachi exhaled, his eyes shot open to reveal his powerful Sharingan once more. 'You, girl, have just wandered into the jaws of death.'

And then he was gone. The konoichi bit her lip in anticipation, trying to determine where their adversary had hidden himself.

'NATSUMI-CHAN! Look out! Behind you!' On instinct, she ducked just as a shining kunai whistled overhead. But she wasn't fast enough, for the knife grazed the top of her ear, drawing blood. Turning a swift 180 degrees from a crouch, she began forming hand seals in quick succession.

'Fire style; Burning Rose jutsu!' Striking her hands together, a jet of golden flame shot forward, catching the corner of Itachi's Akatsuki cloak. He leapt back to avoid being hit by a second, and then a third attack, only to be met by a half a dozen more of Naruto's shadow clones.

They latched onto the Akatsuki's arms, legs and waist, holding the man immobile. Seven or eight feet away, the true Naruto and another clone were working on one of his signature jutsu; the Rasengan. Using this time to her advantage, Natsumi ducked back and began to scope out the other river battles.

A little ways away, Kankuro had summoned his puppets and was battling it out with the masked one, Tobi. Although he appeared to be having a hard time with the cheerful Akatsuki, he seemed to be hanging on alright, for he flashed a thumbs up in her direction. She rolled her eyes at the quirky little habit he picked up from Lee, waved and turned her attention to Temari. Further down the river, Shikamaru was trying to catch Kisame in his Shadow Sewing jutsu so his girlfriend could hit him with her summoning.

'Summoning; Blade Dance!' _Oh, so he must have caught the Akatsuki shark… thing. Good for them._

Hearing a loud shout from her partner, Natsumi's attention changed swiftly back to her own fight. Naruto, with a completed rasengan in hand, began running full tilt at Itachi. Moments before impact, however, his jutsu burnt out, leaving the blonde completely flabbergasted. With this, the previously captured Akatsuki broke free, and caused the clones to disappear in a haze.

'DAMNIT!' he screamed as several shurikins whizzed past. Eyes wide, the konoichi flinched as she watched the Uchiha form hand seals she herself used many times.

'Fire style; fire ball jutsu.' This was aimed directly at the stalled blonde.

Summoning a single clone, it took hold of the real Naruto in midair and succeeded in swinging the blonde out of the path of the flaming orb. This put the jinchuuriki out of harm's way, but the shadow clone fell victim to Itachi's jutsu.

The raven girl could clearly see the look of pent up frustration and anger etched on her friend's face as their adversary literally began to run circles around them, hurling exploding tags attached to kunai, driving them into a tight cluster.

Just then, a crazy idea came to her. Quickly releasing the chakra on the soles of her feet, Natsumi plunged deep below the surface of the calm river. As the cool water engulfed her body, she formed more hand seals and prayed that this would work.

The raven used the same jutsu as before, but this time, the fire was extinguished almost immediately by the river water.

She smiled. _Perfect!_

Although the fire was gone, the excruciating heat and momentum remained, causing huge jets of burning steam to erupt like giant geysers from below the surface.

Even though her spur of the moment plan had been thought up as more of a distraction technique, it seemed to have served another purpose. A dripping wet Itachi had landed gracefully on the tiny land mass, and was now trying to adjust to the uncomfortable burning sensation in his left arm. He remained there, hoping to avoid further scalding.

As Natsumi surfaced, she sighed in exasperation at the sight of Naruto. Wild eyed and in a panic, her blonde comrade was desperately trying to avoid the powerful steam burst pushing up from beneath him.

'HE-HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING THAT THING, DAMNIT!' he cried angrily. Reapplying chakra to both her hands and feet, the raven nimbly lifted herself out of the river and went to stand beside her panting partner.

'I'm sorry, Naruto-kun!' From the island, Itachi smiled lightly and shook his head. Both shinobi scowled at his mocking laugh.

'The only one that can defeat me is one that shares my same blood. What makes you think that you two, you children, can stop me?' he asked in a freakishly calm voice. Natsumi internally cringed.

'I DON'T HAVE TO KILL YOU! When I find Sasuke, he'll be more than happy to do it for us! JUST YOU WAIT, DAMNIT!' His flaming eyes were starting to fill with familiar tears, and the raven had the sudden urge to reach out and pull him close. To comfort him the way her angel had comforted and protected her five years ago; to tell him it was going to be okay.

_Damn these fucking maternal instincts! Do all women get like this?! _Despite this moment, she found that she fondly thought of the hyperactive blonde as the baby brother she never met.

'My foolish younger brother…' When Naruto had said his lover's name, the powerful Uchiha's stone face had cracked and softened ever so slightly, but he recovered swiftly. Natsumi, however, caught this look and began to wonder what Itachi's true motive here was. The look that replaced the loving smile was one of morbid curiosity. 'Why? Why are you so attached to my brother?'

Pausing, the blonde haired young man fell deep into thought, tears sliding down over his cheeks unrestrained. The raven stood at the ready, preparing for the worst.

_My god, how stupid can you get? Itachi could attack at any time, and Naruto's completely vulnerable!_

'He… he was my friend. My best friend, and my rival. He was my only family… My first bond.' As he spoke quietly, a huge omnisent power began to taint the air around, making the konoichi shiver. She could practically touch the evil chakra pulsing in the space surrounding the three ninja. 'AND YOU RUINED IT! ITACHIIII!'

A huge surge of power ripped thought the ravine, blowing the participants of the other battles hard against the rock walls and causing the water nearest to Naruto to erupt in great sheets. From high up on the cliff, and out of range of the raging jinchuuriki, Zetsu grinned to himself.

'**He's utilizing the Kyuubi's chakra!** No way! It's too dangerous to be here! Let's get lost! **Forget it, baka. This is getting good!** I don't want to end up like that!' he shivered, pointing to the Akatsuki members pinned to the ravine sides. '**Shut up, god damnit! I'm so sick of hearing you're voice!** Okay, that was a bit harsh! **I don't- Oh! Show's back on! **But I- **Just shut it and watch.**'

Lowering her protective arm from around her face, Natsumi squinted though the falling mist and the burning red chakra to the general area where she last saw her friend. She was able to make out the outline of her comrades, her friends, the Akatsuki members and something very strange.

It was Naruto, it had to be, but he had undergone a terrifying transformation. The bright crimson chakra that hovered in the damp air had formed a protective shell around the young man, and morphed into the shape of a large fox with a single tail.

Yowling, the demon boy charged at the older raven, his blood lust hanging heavily in the surrounding air. Mimicking Natsumi, Itachi plunged below the surface of the river to avoid being struck by the jinchuuriki.

The dark depths of the river hid the Uchiha well, too well for Natsumi's liking. But then, the water around began to bubble in several areas. Apparently, he remembered the effectiveness of the konoichi's burning rose jutsu and with the help of his Sharingan he managed to shoot two dozen geysers into the air, nearly scorching the younger raven's arm.

However, in order to dodge them, she had to jump close to Naruto. Too close. She tripped up and had to grasp his arm to keep from falling flat on her face, but the demon chakra burnt her worst than if she had been hit by the steam. Gripping a hand full of shurikin, she threw them as hard as she could manage into the water. They pierced the surface and continued downwards.

As Natsumi held her burning arm in pain, her blonde friend's anger began to swell further, adding a second tail to his already powerful form. But only the konoichi was able to see the third, and the forth tail beginning to form from the shell. Itachi rose from the river's depths close to the waterfall, oblivious to the terror about to ensue.

Fear ensnared Natsumi in its chilling grasp as she recalled to final words Naruto's sensei had spoken to her upon their squad's departure…

'_Remember, Naruto's a very passionate individual, and can easily become tangled in an emotional battle that he can't win. In these times, he's far more likely to call on the Kyuubi's chakra_.'_ Jiraiya leaned in closer to Natsumi, almost whispering. She cringed, convinced that she had seen him peeking over the top of the dividers in the hot springs. No matter what the others thought, she couldn't shake the feeling, and now felt rather uncomfortable being so close. 'If that happens, the demon's chakra will encase his body and begin to release tails.'_

'_What do you mean?' she asked, scooting down, leaving a foot of open air between them._

'_The demon within Naruto has nine tails, hence the name; The Nine Tailed Fox. When he uses it's chakra, he's releasing one of it's tails, adding to his power. The longer he's within the shell, or cloak, he runs the risk of freeing more of the demon's tails.' Natsumi bit her lip. 'So, I'm warning you now; if Naruto is possessed by the fox's cloak, I want you… no, I order you to get out of there as fast as you possibly can. No matter what might have happened.'_

'_You want me to run?' A sceptical look crossed her pretty face. 'But why? Wouldn't that be like abandoning my mission?'_

'_Screw the mission. In that state, Naruto can neither distinguish between friend or foe. If he sees you while like that, he will go in for the kill…'_

Hoping to improve their situation, Natsumi circled the raging blonde, leaving him a wide berth, and began to dash up the cliff side. From here, she was able to see Temari and Kankuro helping the Konoha shinobi out of the river, and that weird masked one with the shark, standing off to the side. A sudden double chuckle caused her to almost lose her balance and fall.

'Hah hah, I'm actually glad we stayed, aren't you? **Yeah, at least it's gotten a bit more active. More to watch.**' She whipped her head to the right, only to see Zetsu emerging from the rock inches from where she was crouched. He regarded her with amusement. 'Ssooo… what are you gonna do all the way up here? **Hmm, we should have taken care of her while we had the chance**. Yeah, but if we did, then we wouldn't be able to see what she's about to do! **True enough. Hey, what are you doing after the fight?**' The black side of his face chuckled evilly, while the white side rolled his eye.

'Back off, plant fucker!' she snarled, hurling a kunai at the green haired man. Melding back into the rock, she could hear him mumbling something about rude girls and fast food. Shivering, she hoped that he wasn't referring to her. Regardless of Zetsu's thoughts, she focused on the task her came up here to accomplish.

'NARUTO-KUN, MOVE!' Although he made no signal to show he had heard the raven's shout, he pulled back from their opponent none the less, moving faster than her eyes were able to track. Deftly pushing off from the great rock wall, she began forming hand seals in the air. Taking a deep breath, she raised her fingers to her lips and began to spit huge fire balls. 'Fire style; phoenix flower jutsu!'

Flaming spheres rained down upon the river, crashing into the island all around the Akatsuki and burning up the vegetation. As the Uchiha dodged her attack, Naruto chose this time to launch an attack of his own.

Despite everything, the number of tails increased by three, bring the total to five. Now, the blonde she thought of as a brother wasn't recognizable, instead taking on the appearance of the fox demon. Moving in, he began to slash and claw at the defending Itachi, who ducked and dodged the melee attack with the grace of a willow tree blowing gently in the wind. Finally, the demon managed to get a hold of the raven Akatsuki, and proceeded to take out his pent up, deadly fury out in the form of a savage beating.

Several minutes ticked by as Naruto continued to beat the ex-Konoha ninja within an inch of his life. Soon after, the demon dropped the limp, bloody Itachi to the ground. Still in a rage, he began to swing his head from side to side, searching for his pray. Hidden from view within the mist from the waterfall, Natsumi watched in horror as two things happened;

The first, Naruto's transformation continued to excel with his anger, bringing forth a sixth tail. The second, was the body of the older Uchiha. It was ripping itself apart, changing and transforming until the pieces took on the shape of a half dozen large ravens that began to circle the battle grounds, cawing loudly.

A deep feeling of dread crept over the young raven as the cawing faded to silence. The only thing she could hear now what the roar of the waterfall and the growling of the demon Naruto. Then, with a bright flash, everything changed.

The space around her inverted and time seemed to slow to a crawl. Wind whipped dust and leaves around in unnatural ways, and a blood red moon hung low in the deep midnight sky. She was still standing on the river, beneath the frozen falls, but there were subtle changes in the make up of the land.

She was alone; totally and completely alone. Save, of course, for the tall raven Uchiha standing opposite to her. She breath caught in her throat as he slowly began to walk towards her.

'You are already under the effects of my genjutsu.' He made a large sweeping motion with his arm. 'This is tsukoyomi, my nightmare realm. Here, I control time and space itself… everything and anything at all, it's just a matter of my will.' Natsumi scowled and went to lash out at the approaching Akatsuki, only to end up chained to a large upright stone slab in a totally different environment. A huge black void, with inky water beneath their feet, served as their battle ground.

The change had taken an instant, and Itachi had done it without twitching a muscle. It was the most awesome power the young raven had ever witnessed.

'What the hell do you want!?' He paused, gazing into cobalt eyes at her outburst. Pure, undying hatred smothered in the blue depths.

'I had only wanted to talk to you about the one tailed jinchuuriki, Sabaku no Gaara. But you haven't given me much of a chance…' The embers of rage flared suddenly to life at the mention of the Kazekage.

'We have absolutely NOTHING to talk about, fucking Akatsuki bastard!' she snarled, thrashing against the chains that still bound her to the rock. 'NOTHING, understand!?'

Itachi sighed, and continued towards the immobile raven girl. 'I didn't want to have to resort to fighting an unnecessary battle here, but I do need your cooperation. If you tell us what we need to know about your Kazekage, I shall let you live.'

'Nothing you say holds any interest to me, scum bag!' The two ravens were now face to face; hate filled blue eyes bore into distant, sadistic red ones. 'Leave Gaara-san out of this! As an honourable shinobi from Sunagakure, I would never reveal any information about our leader if it put him in danger! I have far too much respect to betray a comrade, and I care too deeply about him to-' Shocked at the words that nearly slipped off her tongue, she fell silent.

_Oh god, I've said too much!_ The Uchiha nodded knowingly, almost as if he knew the thoughts that chased each other though out her mind.

'I see, so that's how it is. You're much more valuable to us the we had originally thought, young Natsumi-san. A real treasure. However, it seems you will not willingly help us.' Summoning a large number of blade wielding shadow clones, Itachi stood back from his prisoner. 'I'm going to give you one final chance. Help Akatsuki with the capture of the One Tailed Shukaku, or throw your life away.'

'FUCK YOU!'

The older raven closed his eyes. 'Very well. For the next seventy two hours, you will suffer alone in a bottomless pit of pain, never ending… An eternal punishment in the ninth level of Hell.' Raising his own katana, he once again regarded her intently. 'Let's see how well one without the Sharingan fares.'

Lunging forward, the tip of the blade pierced the skin of her shoulder, dangerously close to her neck. Although this was only a genjutsu, Natsumi discovered that she was able to feel blood running down her arm from the wound. Itachi pushed his sword in farther, then nodded to a doppelganger to the smaller raven's left. He thrust his blade towards her, and buried it in her side. She choked back a scream.

Natsumi winced at the feeling of the cold steel biting into her body from all directions, and it took everything she had not to cry. But she had to hold on, for the sake of the Konoha shinobi that she was helping, for the blonde jinchuuriki, and for her red headed Kazekage.

Over what seemed to be countless hours, more and more blades were added, giving the raven the appearance of some sort of human voodoo doll. But then, they were gone. The katanas dissolved and the shadow clones evaporated.

Breathing heavily, with tears streaming down her face, she struggled to raise her head and speak. 'Are… are you d-done yet, you fucker..?' she whispered weakly, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth. A powerful, echoing voice responded to her pitiful question.

'_Seventy one hours, fifty nine minutes and fifty nine seconds remaining…'_

The girl's jaw dropped, and she gasped painfully. 'Yo-you mean to say, that after all that…_ ONLY A SECOND HAS PAST_?!'

The blades came again, in greater numbers this time. They sliced though the air and met their mark.

Only this time, things were different. Instead of Itachi, the man on the other end of the blade was a young red head, with a twisted grin on his pale face.

_Gaara…_

A heart wrenching scream echoed though the realm and then all went quiet. Unable to bear the pain and agony of Itachi's cruel torture, Natsumi slipped into a state of fear induced unconsciousness. The face of the Kazekage shimmered and dissolved, revealing the calm face of the Uchiha. A thin, knowledgeable smile curved his lips as her body fell to the ground. He knelt down next to her and brushed her inky hair from her face.

'Oh yes, very useful indeed…'

* * *

OMJ, chapter 6 fight scene done!! Im so proud of it, and I thank everyone who has continued up to this point. I also apologize for the wait with this one, but I hope to be getting more done soon.

Stick with me! AND REVIEW!!! PLEEEEAAAASSSEEEE!!!!!!! Your reviews fuel my SOUL!!!

And just so you know…

1) _Kirigakure no Kaijin _means 'scurge of the hidden mist', which is Kisame's title, I suppose

2) Chigiri no Sato = blood mist village

3) Naruto's catch phrase, "dattebayo" is the equivalent to "isn't that right", or "believe it", if you watch the english version of the show… ^^;


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